The Apoptosis Project
by GreysonSkye
Summary: Twenty-five years after Salem's defeat, twins Caspian and Lazula Skye are finally of age to attend their father's academy; just in time for the Creatures of Grimm to return. While fighting the revived horror alongside Frontline Biomedical's controversial Organic Androids, they begin to unravel a web of secrets ensnaring more than they could have ever known.
1. Darkness Returns

**_Now initiating The Apoptosis Project..._**

* * *

On a clear night, sailors off Vale's coast swore they could see the lights of Port Cyrreine from fifty miles away. A rainbow of hues, from thousands of windows and holographic ads within the glimmering maze of skyscrapers, reflected in ripples upon the placid black waters off the city's Southern shore. In front of the wall of light was a lively boardwalk; the vendors stands, restaurants, and crowds of people barely visible in the shadow of a ferris wheel lit bright blue for the night. From a distance, a muffled chorus of sirens could be heard.

Two airships jetted toward the city, the air in their wake tearing the water's surface.

"Reports on the ground indicate an attack by the Creatures of Grimm," a man's voice scratched through the radio. "I repeat, eyewitnesses are reporting an attack by the Creatures of Grimm!"

"Grimm?!" Another voice repeated. "No way in hell, those things have been gone for, what? Thirty years now? You sure it's not Sentinel's animatronics?"

"We've established contact with Headmaster Skye of Sentinel. He was at the academy's practice grounds when the incident began, and has confirmed all animatronics are in place," a woman reported.

"What do we know about the incident so far, then?"

"Just under a hundred port workers were laid off, and replaced with a couple dozen of Frontline's organic androids. A peaceful protest turned violent when the Red Claw showed up. Right after that is when reports of Grimm started coming in," the woman replied.

"Griswold Baine has sent his son and a team of Organds to help sort things out on the ground over there. ETA: less than five minutes," the man on the radio concluded.

The two airships landed on a flat slab of concrete near the docks, lit by the shipyard cranes above. The door to one lifted to reveal a golden-haired warrior. His armor, fixed over a jet black bodysuit, was dozens of silvery white plates covering chest, shoulders, waist, hips, and legs; the edge of each plate gilded with a shining trim. His eyes were obscured by a knight-like visor, with a single light blue band to ensure vision. Behind him, a score of armored huntsmen.

"There have been reports of deaths in the area," the man assessed. "All of you. Secure the entrances to each building. Search for survivors, and ensure their safety!"

"Yes, sir!" the huntsmen shouted in unison. They began to pour out onto the streets, save three.

"Desmond, Lavender, Nikole! You three are with me!"

"Yes, sir!" a broad-shouldered man, and two women confirmed.

The street before the huntsmen was a hellscape, far from the peaceful mundanity typical of the city's port district. To each side of the street, flames leapt from shattered windows, dumpsters, and the hollowed-out remains of cars and shipping equipment. Smoke poured into the alleyways, shading the entire area an eerie shade of orange.

The golden-haired warrior held his wrist out in front of him, projecting a holographic screen from his Holoband, a watch-like strap around his wrist. With two fingers, he zoomed in on a map of the area. A yellow marker indicated his position on the water's edge. Several blocks away, a zone was highlighted a bright red.

"Looks like the Red Claw's taken control of a warehouse two blocks Northwest. Our mission is to clear them out, and secure the area. _Move out!_"

"Midas! Look!" One of the huntsman's allies interjected, pointing ahead.

He raised his head. Through the smoke, he could make out several black forms. Though on all fours, they stood nearly his height. Their claws scratched viciously at the pavement as they charged forward, their hungry snarls audible above the breaking of glass and crackling of flame.

"_Beowolves_."

Without a second's hesitation, Midas charged forward with Desmond, Lavender, and Nikole in tow. From his back he pulled a beautiful halberd, taller than he and crafted from the same steel as his armor. He plunged the tip of his weapon into the open jaws of the first beast, and flipped through the air. He flung the unfortunate Grimm backward into a shield bash from Desmond, and brought the axe's head down on the next beast as he landed. A pair of swift spins dispatched two more Grimm before he ducked, deflecting the swipe of another across the shaft of his weapon. Lavender, his teammate in purple, pounced with a pair of bladed tonfas.

The four continued on, clearing out a handful more Grimm on the way to the warehouse. As Midas approached a corner, he held an arm out, indicating his teammates to stop. "The Red Claw's stronghold is just ahead. Post up here, and defend my flank from Grimm. I'll be fine alone."

The three filled into the street; Desmond in front, posted with his shield. Nikole and Lavender to his sides. Midas stepped forward. The smoke and uncanny glow of the main street grew more intense as he pressed on. From the fog came the scratching of countless feet, their claws impaling concrete with each heavy step.

A stark white pincer, as big as Midas himself, burst from the smoke. He held his weapon up to block the attack, but was forced backward by the power behind the strike. Another pincer attack was met with his weapon's axehead, and forced into the ground. Two lines of beady red eyes glowed behind the pair of claws, and the creature scuttled into view. Its body was the length of a school bus, low to the ground and clad in bony spines for armor. The scorpion's tail curled over its body, ending in a malicious golden stinger.

The deathstalker screamed with rage. Midas spun with the momentum of another blocked claw swipe, and thrust the tip of his halberd into the stinger as it bore down on him. He gripped his weapon's handle as the beast hoisted him into the air.

He cracked a grin as the tip of his halberd unfolded, freeing him from the monster. His weapon's shaft folded backward, until it had transformed into a bow. Still in mid-air, he pulled back on the string of hard-light dust. The vibrant arcs of electricity crackling around his body became one with the bolt of focused energy forming at his weapon, and he let fly.

The deathstalker halted in sudden stiffness as the bolt shattered the armor at the back of its head, a shockwave rippling through the smoke. The beast's tail uncurled and slammed to the ground next to the huntsman as he landed. It began to dissolve into the night.

The huntsman paused, eyes fixed ahead. He had only taken two labored breaths before two men leapt into view, blades prepared to kill. He swore, and electricity coursed its way through his halberd just before he raised it to block a vicious overhead axe swing. Static worked its way down his enemy's weapon. The faunus seized up, and Midas freed his weapon. Aura crackled around the assailant's gut as the tip of Midas's spear was thrust forward. Midas set his feet, once again transforming his weapon back into a bow. He let fly on his second enemy with a point-blank jolt of dust.

The smoke began to clear.

Two dozen feet ahead, a truck had been tipped onto its side, blocking most of the lane. On the edge of the cab sat a bald-headed woman, clad in leather robes of black and white. As her eyes met his visor, a broad, serpentine tail pulled up from behind her, and settled in her lap.

"Red Claw commander!" Midas called. "Who are you working for? He's here, isn't he?!"

"And why would I tell you, prettyboy?" the commander mocked, her tail lashing once. "Although, by the way you asked that, you already know the answer."

* * *

A young woman's voice faded in and out. She seemed to want something.

The morning light pouring in the window was far too bright. The plush bedcovers weighed the boy's body down, sinking him deeper into his mattress. He groaned, and rolled over.

"Come on, get up. My breakfast is getting cold."

"Go away, Lazula," the boy mumbled, feebly shooing her away. He gathered his pillow in front of his eyes.

"Lilly's gonna be there..." the young woman teased, her voice softening. "Sleep much longer, and you won't be able to shower."

Lilly. _Lilliane Corvis-Braun_. The very image of beauty, kindness, and feminine grace, in the boy's eyes. Sure, they had been friends for the longest time. She _probably _wouldn't judge him for one morning of disheveled hair. But still. He couldn't stand the thought of questionable hygiene on a day he would see her. He worked his way upright, shivering as the blankets fell to his waist. He turned to look at his sister with an exaggerated look of bitterness.

Though the two were twins, the young man and Lazula bore little resemblance. Lazula had inherited her father's strong chin; dark, full brows; and long, straight nose. Her eye color was difficult to discern. Though mostly a green-heavy hazel, transient flecks of nearly every color seemed to come and go, by lighting and by the minute. Her hair, a vivid electric blue, was swept to one side in front, tied into a messy low bun in back. Rebellious strands of hair fell to each side of her face, the biggest running down the bridge of her nose. Caspian guessed she had snuck in some early-morning training.

Between the young man's soft, kind-looking face, large round eyes of a vivid blue, and button nose, he was quite obviously his mother's child. His hair was coarse yet voluminous, falling in fluffy layers to eyebrow level in front, and chin level in back. His deep blue roots were visible at the crown of his head, but faded to silver further away.

"Good morning, Caspian. You slept for seven hours and thirty-seven minutes," the automated voice of a woman reported from the headboard. "Would you like to see this morning's top news stories?"

"Yes," Lazula cut in. She nudged her brother as he began to doze off again.

A holographic screen flashed up across the foot of the bed, displaying an aerial view of a street near the docks. Between the stacks of shipping containers and open flames, three Beowolves and a hulking, ursine form ran. "Darkness returns: eight are confirmed dead and fourteen have been wounded in a Port Cyrreine Grimm attack overnight. Authorities confirm this is the first Grimm attack in twenty-five years," the voice stated. "Vytal Tournament champion Midas Baine was dispatched to the scene with his team and several organic androids, but was ultimately unsuccessful in apprehending the woman believed to be behind the attack."

"Jeez... Looks like Ichigo was right," Caspian said, putting on the round lens, wire-framed glasses that rested against his bedside lamp. "He told me about reports of Grimm, and I... well, was I supposed to just believe it?"

Lazula sighed. "Looks like this huntsman education will do us some good after all." She stood, and walked to the door of Caspian's room. She rested one hand on the doorknob and turned around. "We have to pass the entrance exam first. You should start getting ready."

"Of course _you'll_ pass..." Caspian muttered, watching Lazula leave. He switched off the holographic screen, which had changed stories to show a bald, bearded man in a tailored suit giving a speech. After grabbing a bite to eat, throwing a few last-minute items into his suitcase, and grabbing his pre-planned outfit of a blue knit sweater and khakis, he made his way to the shower.

The water scalded his back, but he paid no mind as it drained between his feet. "_Today is the day,_" he thought. He took a deep breath. The final entrance examination. His written scores, apparently, had been on par with the top percentage of Sentinel applicants. He scraped by the physical tests, but today...

Every time he thought about it, it made him feel a little sick.

Caspian turned off the water. One typical morning routine later, and he opened the door, giving himself one last look in the mirror. Yet as he turned to the doorway, he started.

His eyes locked with a colorless stare. Not silver, not even a light blue. Her irises were entirely devoid of color. Her matching hair was styled neatly, bangs sweeping across her forehead and tucking under the locks that framed her doll-like face. Her hair in back tapered to a single point at the nape of her neck.

"Oh! Snow. Thank you, for the jumpscare," Caspian said, grinning with embarrassment and holding a hand over his chest.

Though Caspian's heart was one beat from leaping out of his throat, the girl was entirely unperturbed. Her gaze followed him. "Your mother told me to tell you she would like to leave in twenty minutes." Her eyes cast downward, looking to the Holoscreen she projected from the band at her wrist. "This was two minutes ago. Will you be ready in eighteen minutes?"

"Eighteen?" Caspian repeated. He pursed his lips, and grabbed several items from the bathroom counter. "I guess I'll have to be. Oh, if you're here, is Uncle Doug around?" he guessed.

"He's working this morning. He said he will try to attend the Final Examination," Snow said. Her voice was soft, hardly ever carrying much more strength than a whisper. Words followed each other in disengaged monotony.

She turned, beginning to walk down the hall. Caspian admired her combat outfit, which she had already changed into. A snow white vest made of neoprene met her skirt at belt level, on which she holstered the handle of her weapon. The skirt was patterned into the interweaving fractal arms of a snowflake, layers underneath, visible in the gaps between the snowflake's arms, a shade of light blue. She wore a collared shirt of the same shade beneath her vest, the tight sleeves coming down to her wrists. Black socks were the only hint of darkness to her outfit, starting at her knee and feeding into her glossy white boots.

The hum of the airship's engines was all Caspian heard. It was the perfect background noise for his thoughts, all blending together into one monotonous drone. Snow sat beside him, her vacant gaze matching Caspian's out the window. Lazula sat a few rows behind the pair, watching a video from her last tournament, playing and replaying to study each of her moves meticulously.

The city of Port Cyrreine was founded on two peninsulas, jutting out into the ocean like a massive pair of jaws. The Southern peninsula, further from the airship window, held the city's downtown. Closer to the mainland, the skyscrapers tapered off into a maze of dingy mid-rise buildings, an area of town Caspian intended to avoid.

Toward the peninsula's tip, a magnificent structure of glass and steel. The apexes of two black towers, one just half the height of the taller, skewered the sky. A golden ring circled the neck of the giant, holding an airship platform several hundred feet above the ground below. A shell of smooth, silvery-white encased the Northern side of the structure, which loomed above the mouth of the bay. Etched upon it in thin black lettering, "Frontline Biomedical."

Snow's eyes seemed intent on the building.

The Northern peninsula; the tract of land the airship carrying Caspian, Lazula, and Snow, descended over; was a mish-mash of residential areas and small businesses. Frontline's main hospital sat on the tip, directly North of corporate headquarters.

"Perks of being the Headmaster's kids," Caspian noted, sticking a finger to the window and peering down. "We don't have to sit in _that._"

Lazula appeared, leaning over Caspian's seat and looking to the city below. Seacrest Bridge, the lone road between the two halves of Port Cyrreine, was packed bumper to bumper.

"Lilly's there, she said she's with Rowan and Ichigo," Lazula said. "Laurel's on her way, but the traffic doesn't look bad from the North. Still, I don't envy whoever's stuck in that mess."

A few minutes passed, and Caspian looked away from the window and into his lap as the airship slowed to a stall. He felt it begin to descend upon a mile-wide cape that stuck into the bay from the city's Northern half.

The campus of Sentinel Academy.

* * *

**So, this is chapter one. This story assumes Salem was defeated and the Grimm disappeared, but doesn't work with **_**much **_**of the gods/Salem/Ozma lore from Volume 6 onward. I know the future shown in my story will be far different from the actual post-RWBY future, but I couldn't wait to get my story out there. ALSO! The pictures in my cover are by Stygmatus on Tumblr!**

**The info-dumping will let up once I've introduced everyone and all the settings, I promise. But other than that, let me know what you think! I'm super passionate about this story, so I want to make sure it's the best it possibly can be! Follows, favs, reviews, and DMs are all always welcome!**


	2. The Indomitable Girl

Caspian watched the wide, flat, wings of the Ray-Class airship rise higher into the cloudy sky. It paused for a second before its jets burst with a sudden pulse of energy, and it began to soar away. Caspian knew he had come too far to back out. Considering he would have to face his friends and family, he wasn't sure he wanted to.

Yet, he tugged at his sleeve as he watched the ship depart over the bay, wishing he was still on board.

"Headmistress Skye," a man in a reflective jacket acknowledged.

The woman who had accompanied the three, dressed in fitted blue dress and black blazer, nodded back. Her light, honey blonde hair was tied back, a single sweeping bang at one side of her face. She looked to the man with sapphire eyes. "Thanks for getting us to the ground safely," she recognized. The look on her face shifted as she turned to the three teenagers to her side. "We're a bit late, and I have preparations to work out with your father. But... you know what happened last night. I remember a world with grimm. Things are going to get unpredictable, and... dangerous. I need to know you three understand."

"I think we'll be alright," Caspian mustered.

"We'll be fine, mom. _Really,_" Lazula assured.

Snow nodded once. "I understand."

"Good," Mrs. Skye responded. "I'm sure you three will do great today. Be safe, and keep an eye on Snow. I love you!"

"'_Keep an eye' _on Snow?" Caspian repeated, once the three had traveled a safe distance into the shadow of Sentinel Stadium. "She's seventeen, and entirely capable of keeping an eye on herself."

"You two will be fine without me, then?" Lazula asked.

"W-Without you?" Caspian responded, gaze flicking to the swirling torrent of a crowd, coming and going around the trio.

"We're late, and I need to get ready. I don't have time to meet with everyone else." Without another word, Lazula began to carve her way through the crowd, toward the locker rooms.

By the time Caspian made it to the Student Fitness Center, the gym just North of the Stadium, the three he had planned to meet were already outside in their combat gear. A brown hand pushed up a pair of glasses, and a boy slouched over his laptop looked up to meet Caspian's eyes. He wore a fitted black and white jersey, accents of magenta swirling around each other until they met at the symbol on his chest: a computer's power symbol stretched at the bottom to resemble a strawberry. A simple pair of black pants completed the look. His hair rose about a quarter inch off the top of his head. Short, curly, and bright pink.

A second boy leaned against a pillar nearby; a huge, one-sided broadsword propped up next to him. His crimson hair was slicked back from his forehead, then fell over itself to one side. He was tall and lanky, dressed in a red, sleeveless hoodie, a white stripe and a black one making a "V" at chest level. Two armored plates were strapped haphazardly over his black, capri-length joggers, with a matching pair of shin guards. A scruff of hair traced its way along his jaw and onto his chin, and his eyes held a permanently relaxed, almost lazy look to them.

The last of the three, a notably short young woman with snow white hair pulled into a feathered ponytail, stood in the middle. She wore a combat skirt, mostly white apart from the fringe, laces across her stomach, and numerous bows; which all shared the warm, chocolate brown of her eyes and matched her knee-high, worn-looking boots. The alabaster skin of her somewhat rounded face was impeccably clear, a slight blush rising in her cheeks.

Caspian fixed his hair and evened his collar as he approached.

"Hey, Cas is finally here!" The boy in red welcomed, peeling himself from the wall to give him a handshake and a pat on the back.

"And Snow!" The girl with the feathered hair added in a soft voice. She reached her arms out for a hug. Snow paused for a second, examining the gesture blankly. Then, she raised her arms to meet the girl.

The boy in red looked to Snow, then back to Caspian. "Your sister too cool for us, or what?"

"Basically," Caspian responded with a chuckle. "Said she didn't have time to meet up with everyone first. Not even Lilly, and those two have been inseparable since they were like four."

"The exam starts in an hour and a half," the lanky boy remarked, projecting the time from his Holoband. "She's just too cool for us, I guess! What I wanna know is where Laurel is. Seeing her will give me the strength to get through this test."

"Rowan, cut it out," Lilly gently objected. She turned. "And Ichigo. Have you realized your friends are here?"

"I saw them before the rest of you noticed, but we get to see them all the time," Ichigo responded casually. His eyes flicked back to the screen. "What you don't see all the time anymore is a deadly grimm attack. I'm trying to get into the database for Port Cyrreine's police department. I'd bet they're hiding some juicy details from the news stations."

"On school internet, dude?" Rowan objected.

"Not exactly. They can't find me."

"Whatever the case, I certainly hope deadly grimm attacks don't become the norm again..." Lilly commented solemnly. She folded her hands together. "It's already both tragic and scary, but it happened only a couple of miles from here."

"I've got a bad feeling this won't be the only one..." Caspian replied. He sighed, and pointed to the entrance of the SFC. "Anyway, I'll try to make it quick. Snow, are you gonna stay with them?"

"Yes, I'll stay."

If it weren't for the storm of Sentinel applicants descending on the locker room in semi-controlled chaos, Caspian knew he would have been lost in the SFC. It was a huge, multi-floor building with lockers, a weightlifting gym, and a pool in the basement; workout equipment and a couple of small indoor courts on the ground floor. Caspian noticed stairs leading up, but they were blocked off. The directory noted four floors.

Caspian settled in the quietest corner of the locker room, but there were still a few others nearby. He looked at one young man, halfway in his combat uniform. Broad-shouldered and brawny, a head taller than Caspian, and nearly twice as wide.

Exactly what he expected of his competition.

He sighed, and wriggled his way out of his sweater. A few minutes later, and he was adjusting the final straps on his silver greaves. He strode over to the mirror to ensure his outfit was complete. He was particularly proud of his overcoat. It was perfectly tailored to his body, dark greyish-blue with two silver rings on each sleeve, and a silver trim separating chest and torso from black shoulderpads: flexible, but sturdy. Underneath, a black chestplate was decorated by cobalt blue steel in the shape of an anchor. The coat came down to his mid-thigh, partly covering the tight black pants he wore.

Caspian turned halfway, then back the other way. The blue of his eyes flashed across the glass, and he met his reflection's gaze. He took a deep breath.

Lazula cut through the crowd clutching her blue and gold duffle bag. The slack jaws and star-struck stares of those who separated before her were nothing unusual. Her eyes remained fixed dead ahead. Still, their whispers. As grating as usual.

"I-Is that..."

"That's her!"

"She hasn't lost. Not once!"

"Did you know she has a twin brother?"

"Wait, _really?_"

"Stop staring, you're being too obvious!"

"_That's enough of that_," Lazula thought.

Her eyes narrowed, finally faltering to look down at her bag. She slipped a pair of headphones on, and drowned out their voices. She continued into the fitness center and into the locker rooms, plopping her bag down on the bench. Her fingers began to work at the drawstring of her joggers, but paused. She looked to the end of the row, where two girls peered around the corner, making little attempt at secrecy. "_Really?"_ Lazula thought. "_I can't even change in peace."_

She slid her headphones to her shoulders.

"Will you stop staring? I'd like to change."

Changing in and out of her combat attire was a lengthy process Lazula had grown used to. Though she paid little attention to her makeup -most days applying just a touch of mascara- half an hour of an average morning was spent fastening and unfastening each strap on the plates of armor guarding her thighs, every band between her spaulders and gorget, all the buckles of her fingerless gloves and elbow pads, the laces of her boots, and the two belts of coarse leather securing her sheath at her side. One was strapped across her waist, the other over her shoulder.

Apart from the grey of her armor and the brown of both boots and belts, everything Lazula wore was blue and gold. Her tunic fell to the top of her thigh, made of a material created just for her outfit: fabric thick enough to block the slash of a sword, yet soft, flexible, and breathable. It was double-breasted with a high collar, trim and buttons gleaming gold. Her pants were made from the same material, but a shade away from black. The look was completed by the waist-length cape that attached to her shoulder pads. Thin lines of gold traced down the cape to each side of her symbol; her sword running down the middle of her shield, the crossguard and top of her shield forming an eight-pointed star.

Lazula raised her wrist to the locker and heard a metallic clink at its handle. The light poured in, reflecting off her impenetrable heater shield, Aegis. Gold at its raised spine and its frame. Three golden spokes radiated from the top center of her shield. The longest stuck straight up from the spine, with a smaller one at an angle to each side.

An excited murmur arose as Lazula pulled Aegis from her locker, and began to strap it to her arm. Lazula reached once again into her locker, producing her sheathed sword and the belts that fastened it to her hip. The rapidly gathering crowd broke into a wild clamor, enlivened by the glimpse at the resplendent shine of her sword, Impetus.

Her eyes narrowed at the crowd that had gathered under the exit sign. A hush falling over them, the girls began to disperse.

By the time Caspian arrived at the bridge to Sentinel's practice arena, an island nestled in the most inland point of the bay, a throng of applicants had already gathered. At the mouth of the bridge, a stage was set up, and four airships lined the water's edge at each side. Barricuda-Class, judging by their pointed, pencil-shaped bodies and thin wings. Past the stage, and past the bridge, Caspian could see a set of grandstands lining the entry. The broken remains of buildings, a thicket of trees, and a small mountain were all visible from the shore.

Next to each ship stood what appeared to be a huntsman, dust baton held at their right side. More were dispersed within the crowd, surrounding it, and at both ends of the bridge. However, each one wore the same lightly armored uniform of white, silver, black, and violet highlights; the outfit given to each of Frontline Biomedical's Organic Androids.

Caspian huffed. "Organd security is high today," he noted.

"I'm glad," Lilly replied. "With what happened yesterday, there's no way of knowing when the Red Claw will attack again..."

"But, you know..." Rowan began. He swept his arm in front of his body, looking forward at the mass of applicants. "School full of huntsmen in training? Of all the places to attack, I feel like this one would be kinda pointless."

"There are two instances of schools being attacked in the past," Snow stated. "One resulted in major property damage and loss of life, both within the school and the surrounding area. I believe your parents were present for said attack. The other was almost entirely averted, but resulted in the death of the school's Headmaster."

"How reassuring, thank you Snow!" Ichigo responded.

"By the way, where is Lazula? Still too cool for us?" Rowan guessed.

"Her just being here would cause a commotion," Caspian replied. "She's probably off by herself somewhere. Whatever the airships are for, I'm surprised she's not on her own private one."

"Would it be blue and gold, too?" Ichigo joked.

Caspian chuckled. "Probably."

"Well, that's one thing about not being the 'Indomitable Girl.' You don't get hassled everywhere you go!" Rowan added. "You're free to blend in with the crowd!"

Caspian grit his teeth. "Yeah, I guess that's true!"

His friends laughed. Caspian guessed his facade had worked.

He looked to the stage, hearing the crowd begin to roar with excited cheer. A man strode up to the microphone. Despite only looking to be approaching middle-age, his marked limp was supported by a cane. He dressed in black slacks, shoes, and tie, a stone grey blazer, and a white shirt underneath. His hair matched his blazer, and was parted neatly at one side, sweeping across his forehead and back toward his ear. His green eyes -behind a pair of glasses- had once shown with verdant passion, but had dulled with age. Caspian and Lazula's mother accompanied him to the stage.

Caspian recognized the man instantly. The Headmaster of Sentinel Academy, and his father.

"All this time, and I'm still not certain how to begin my speeches," the Headmaster began. A murmur of laughter rose from the crowd, and the Headmaster let out a deep breath. "You've all gathered here today, leaving homes and families in search of something even greater. You believed you were coming to a school that would both prepare you for your future, and train you to protect the people of Remnant, should they ever need protecting. But just last night, the world has changed. At times, our future may seem uncertain. At times, it is. But it is my promise as Headmaster that I will do everything in my power to keep the people safe. Not just those of Port Cyrreine, not just those of Vale. I trust you all to fight alongside me."

Rowan joined the crowd in its cheer. The rest settled for applause.

"But, there is one final obstacle standing between you and Sentinel Academy," the Headmistress spoke up. "These past several months of rigorous tests, both physical and mental, come to a head today, with our Final Entrance Examination."

"Before the exam, you will be randomly selected to board one of our eight airships. Each airship has a different trajectory, and your drop order will be randomized," the Headmaster explained. A screen flashed behind him, displaying the outline of a person being encased in what appeared to be a bubble.

"You will be dropped in a Holosphere. The sphere falls slowly, and mitigates most impact, minimizing the risk of injury upon landing. However, once on the ground, your well-being is not guaranteed," he continued. "You will face animatronic grimm of all types. These grimm will be ranked on a points system. Naturally, larger, more dangerous grimm are worth more points. I must stress, these animatronic grimm will be your only enemy within the arena. If you purposefully turn your weapon against another applicant, you _will _be immediately disqualified. Furthermore, while schools of the past may have been more... _lax, _student safety is our top priority. If at any time your aura falls to zero, the animatronics will cease to attack you and your score will be frozen, rendering your test over."

"You will partner up with the first person you lock eyes with upon landing," the Headmistress took over. "If some reason, such as biases or another compelling personal reason, prevent you from working together, you may find a new partner." She started, as if remembering something suddenly.

"Before the test, you will also be provided a school-issued Holoband. If you already own one, you may use your own for the rest of your time at Sentinel. If not, consider the one you are provided today yours. Don't lose it!"

"_You will partner up with the first person you lock eyes with._" The words echoed in Caspian's mind. Assuming he passed, the thought that finding someone, _anyone_, by pure chance today would have an indisputable effect on the next four years of his life made his heart race.

Headmaster Skye spoke up again. "Within the time limit, earn two-hundred points alone, or three-hundred and fifty as a pair, and you will pass. For those of you who do, this will double as initiation, and you will be assigned a team today. For those who do not, your transcripts and paperwork will be transferred to all other huntsman academies."

"We wish you all the best of luck," Headmistress Skye said. "Those of you without Holobands, please come to the front in an orderly fashion. Those of you who already own them, do note they will be disabled while within testing grounds, apart from contact with your partner, and viewing of applicant rankings."

Caspian felt a pulse of vibration from his Holoband. He looked down, a quizzical expression flashing across his face as the number three projected in bold.

"You have now been assigned airships," Headmaster Skye explained. He held an arm out. "Ships one through four are to my right, five through eight are on my left. Please, make your way to the ship with number matching the one on your scroll."

"Three, anyone?" Caspian asked, looking around to his friends.

"I have been assigned ship six," Snow declared.

"Nope, ship two. Sorry," Rowan responded.

"Ship two?" Ichigo repeated, holding up his arm. The number two projected from it.

"Yeah! Ship two!" Rowan exclaimed, enthusiastically initiating a high-five.

Lilly sighed. "Looks as if I've been assigned ship seven. Maybe Laurel or Lazula will be on yours?" Lilly offered.

"Maybe..." Caspian managed. He sighed, an attempt at stifling the pang of unease in his gut. He cracked a knuckle and bit his lip, eyes flicking to the rapidly dispersing crowd. Rowan, Ichigo, Lilly, and Snow began to join them. His thoughts shifted to Laurel. The two had known each other forever, and of course shared the same group of friends. Yet out of all of them, she was, for whatever reason, the one person he had talked to least. And, well... she _was_ a little intimidating too, Caspian thought. Then, Lazula.

He would feel the need to apologize to her if he ended up as her partner.

Thoughts still meandering, Caspian began to make his way to airship three. He was caught for a few minutes in line, as an organd was posted at the entrance to ensure everyone was at the right ship. Caspian filed into the windowless cabin, and shuffled past a handful of applicants to take a seat at the far wall. He could feel his heartbeat now, and his breath came uneasily whenever he gave half a thought to where he was, and what he was about to do.

He closed his eyes, taking in for a second the anxious rumble of the cabin. Not many onboard spoke, Caspian noticed. They did as he did; focusing their thoughts, and staring down the competition. As Caspian's eyes began to wander, they settled on a pair of hands wearing what looked like weightlifting gloves, with a colored stud at each knuckle. Its owner, a brunette with a chin-length bob of hair, was dressed in a tan tank top, tight, army green cargo pants, and a brown scarf. Judging by the knitting, Caspian guessed it to have been made by a hobbyist, rather than a professional or a machine.

A bushy squirrel tail twitched once, marking the faunus's victory in securing the school-issued Holoband to her wrist. Her tail twitched again as she projected a screen from it, and gingerly extended a hand to pass her fingers through the hologram. She looked up to meet Caspian's eyes, and flashed a cheery smile.

"Hey! Good luck!"

"Uh- Th-Thanks, y-you too!" Caspian stammered.

At that moment, the engines of the ship suddenly burst to life. Caspian felt the ship begin to take off, and a voice spoke through the loudspeaker, accompanied by a pulse of vibration from his Holoband.

"You have all just been issued your drop order number," the voice announced. "Please form a single-file line, with those first in the drop order at the back of the cabin. Thank you."

Caspian let out a shaky breath in an attempt to calm himself. The cabin before him began to shift, all prospective students coalescing into a single, disorganized mass. A swarm of numbers filled the air. Caspian listened, eventually finding his place among the line. A few minutes later, another announcement. The one Caspian had been dreading most.

"Holosphere drops will now begin. If you are not already in your designated order, please find your place in line immediately."

Beams of light flooded into the cabin as the doors at the back opened. An assistant next to the door placed his hand on the first girl's shoulder. They exchanged a few words, and she disappeared from the ship.

The line shuffled forward.

One by one, the people in front of Caspian dropped. Some jumped on their own, others were nearly thrown from the cabin. Each time, the line inched forward, and Caspian's heart beat harder. Then, Caspian was at the front. His legs began to wobble beneath him as he looked down. The ship was above the middle of Sentinel's training island. The forest was at one side, city at the other, Caspian analyzed. Depending on the wind, he could end up in eith-

Caspian felt a hand between his shoulders, and he was pushed forward.


	3. Social Facilitation

Not a second after her feet touched ground, the Holosphere dissolved around Snow. She paused for a few seconds, taking in her surroundings. She had landed in the middle of a deciduous forest. The leaves above were speckled with the first hints of Early Autumn. In the sky above, holospheres still descended, drifting leisurely to the ground like snowfall.

Snow's head snapped to the left. Down a slight incline, toward where the trees opened to a decrepit model of an abandoned city. She began to sprint, elbows locked at a perfect right angle, pumping to shoulder level in front. Her eyes were fixed toward the city, locked on their destination despite the bobbing of her head.

Gunshots rang out in the forest behind her. From her side, a young man's shout. Yet she kept running. Her focus was finally broken by a violent clamor, a cracking and crunching of branches above. A shadow dropped from the canopy, scattering leaves and causing the ground beneath Snow's boots to tremor.

Snow skidded to a stop, reaching for the weapon at her belt. She stared down the animatronic Beringel, watching as it let out a ferocious scream. It pounded on its titanium-plated chest, and leapt at the white-haired huntress in training. At the last moment before a two-fisted pound split the dirt at her feet, Snow pivoted to the side.

As she turned, she pulled a silver handle from her belt. A straight, single-edge blade sprung forth from within, glowing with the pale blue of hard-light dust. She struck four times. Each slash was measured, lashing at the animatronic's vulnerable skin of a black, leathery cloth. She would turn her body and move her feet with each attack, a dance of aggression and grace in perfect balance. She ducked around the monster's swings for several seconds, slashing with her weapon's blade whenever she found an opening. An overhead strike was blocked by the creature. Snow's eyes flicked to the side, where another punch neared. She flipped backward and under it where she stood, landing on her feet and springing back toward the machine without missing a beat.

As she swung upward into the animatronic's underarm, glowing lines traced from the tip of her sword, forming the outline of an axe's head. A horrible metallic scraping filled the air, and sparks flung in all directions as Snow ripped her axe through the machine's shoulder socket. Its arm fell to the forest floor. Another axe swing, and it fell.

Snow began to sprint again, feeling a pulse of vibration from her holoband.

Lazula thrust Impetus through the chest of an oncoming Beowolf, sinking her weapon through to its golden crossguard. The guard was spread like a set of lustrous wings, one half curving in toward the broad, silver blade, and the other half perpendicular to it. A cobalt blue core ran down the middle of her blade, surrounded, like most of Lazula's attire, by gold.

Feeling the familiar pulse of vibration from her holoband, an indication she had defeated the animatronic and gained points, she flung the imitation beast from Impetus, and into another coming from her right side. The two collided with a crumbling wall, and were crushed beneath the rubble.

Another set of claws scratching on pavement, this time from Lazula's right. She blocked a swipe with Aegis, propelling the attack backward. She ducked down and twirled, sweeping the beast's feet out from under it. She leapt upward, leaving both her and her foe in the air before planting the heel of her boot in the creature's gut, and slamming it back to the pavement. It made a harsh cracking sound as it landed, and Lazula disposed of it with one final stab.

She turned on the balls of her feet, raising Aegis just in time to block the lightning-fast strike of a serpentine animatronic. The fangs, each the length of her forearm, hooked over the top of her shield. Lazula wrenched her arm upward to impale the roof of the snake's mouth with her shield's spikes. One of the snake's heads recoiled and the other lashed at her. She braced herself and raised her shield again. This time, she bashed forward, taking the entire impact into her arm.

Lazula activated her semblance: kinetic energy manipulation. Absorbing the impact, she turned her body and swung with Impetus. The animatronic's energy was channeled into her swing and amplified, easily bisecting her foe. A gale of wind ripped down the nearby alleyway with her swing, knocking a fire escape to the ground with an ear-splitting tumult**, **and knocking a Beowolf animatronic at the end of the alley to its back.

A white-haired girl, dressed in white and a delicate blue, drove her gleaming sword into its chest. Lazula watched it arch its back, and go limp. She sheathed Impetus, breathing out a muted smile as the dust settled, her eyes meeting with the colorless pair down the alley.

"So, I guess this makes us partners?" Lazula called.

Snow nodded, and walked toward Lazula.

Caspian jogged through the forest, one eye on the path ahead, and one on the screen he held in front of him. The only sounds in the thick pine woods were his feet on the ground, his breath, and the torrent of thoughts plaguing him. He flicked from the singles list, on which he was one of a handful who had not yet scored any points, to the doubles. Lazula, apparently, had paired with Snow. They were comfortably ahead of the second-place pair, little surprise to Caspian. He scanned the list, then flipped back to the singles bracket.

A quick moment of relief. Lilly, on pace to pass the exam, had not yet found a partner. If he could just find her, Sentinel Academy wouldn't be too bad. His mind began to slip to other scenarios. Rowan, Ichigo, and Laurel were all at varying positions in the singles list. It was still early in the exam, of course, but knowing the possibility of teaming with a friend existed, however small, gave him some peace of mind. Then, there was that squirrel faunus from the airship. Caspian never caught her name, but her brilliant smile had caught him off guard. She seemed nice, and was, well, _really _cute, Caspian thought.

What sounded like an Ursa's roar shook the faunus from Caspian's mind. He planted his feet in place and turned to the sound. From within a cluster of boulders, a huge black bear, with spines of titanium armor on face, arms, shoulders, and back, broke out on all fours. Pines and dirt tore up from the forest floor with each stride.

Caspian knew the beast was just an animatronic, programmed to sense aura and stop attacking before any real damage could be done. But still. The hulking black monster stood several feet taller than he, even running on four legs. Its snarls, claws, and teeth seemed real enough.

He reached behind his right shoulder, and unsheathed a thin, black cutlass with a trailing point, both edges of the blade gleaming with cobalt luster. As Caspian pulled the weapon from his back, he flipped a switch at the handle. The blade separated and folded in on itself to form an oversized handgun. Under Caspian's thumb, an oblong tract of steel rotated into place, finishing his weapon's transformation. "Undertow" was carved out of it, glowing blue from within like much of the muzzle.

He aimed between the animatronic's eyes. His finger began to tug on the trigger, but he halted, looking to the side.

Brown waves of aura crackling around her powerful legs like lightning, the squirrel faunus from the ship sprinted in. Her aura spread to her fist, and she snapped the animatronic's head to the side with a careening blow. The titanium plates covering the imitation Ursa's head cracked, and the branches of surrounding trees rippled in every direction with the shockwave.

She stood over the animatronic, shaking out her fist. Her scarf settled at her back, and her head turned. Her eyes met Caspian's.

"Oh, sorry! Was this one yours?" the girl asked. Caspian could hear footsteps.

"Oh- uh, it's okay. It's... still early," Caspian assuaged. His eyes fell to his Holoscreen, a dark blue "0" still beside his name. "But if we're partners, i-it won't matter, right?"

Her tail drooped a bit, as did Caspian's hopes. A girl with magenta hair strode into view, finally catching up with her partner.

"Ah, got it. No worries!" Caspian promised. He fidgeted with his Holoband, and began to turn around. He forced a smile. "I should be going now, good luck!"

"Good luuuuck!" she called after him.

Rain began to fall. Caspian could hear it on the canopy above, and every few seconds an intrepid drop would break through to land on him. The holosphere he had dropped in had prevented any view of the outside, and his father had been rather secretive about the layout, so as not to give his children an advantage. So, when he broke out into a clearing at the base of a jagged precipice, he was caught by surprise.

He could hear a peculiar scraping noise from above, and he looked to its source. A colossal arachnid, with a pair of mantis-like arms and white spires jutting out from its abdomen, clambered across the rock face, what Caspian guessed to be nearly a hundred feet up. "_An Aracylla_," Caspian thought, remembering his father's tales of the creatures from the lonesome woods of Northern Mistral. "_This thing has to be worth at least forty points!_"

The machine lost its footing for a second, sending a cascade of stones the size of Caspian's head to the ground nearby.

Caspian pulled Undertow from his back, and lined up a shot toward one of the grotesque animation's legs. The bullet of pure dust met its mark, and the spider lost its footing once more. Caspian's satisfied smirk dropped, and his eyes widened.

Instead of a clumsy fall to the ground below, the machine found its footing, let out a horrific screech, and pounced.

Caspian yelled with fright and dove to the ground, and felt the animatronic land behind him with a thunderous slam. He turned over, and was able to shoot out a couple of eyes before it sprang toward him. Caspian raised his armguard in an attempt to block a strike from the creature's mantis claws, but the lash propelled his arm back into his brow. He punched outward at the next strike, allowing him just enough time to slash once with Undertow and flip onto his feet. He reversed his grip, and sent the tip of his weapon through one of the Aracylla's many eyes. The beast recoiled in simulated agony, leaving an opening for Caspian to jump in and strike the delicate link between leg and body. With little resistance, the joint gave way and the creature screeched, front leg falling to the ground.

A shotgun blast rang through Caspian's ears, causing him to jump. The creature tensed up, before knocking Caspian aside and turning around on its remaining legs. It lurched forward to strike, but was met with a second blast. Barely visible under his foe's legs, Caspian saw a combat boot stomp on one clawed foot. A swing of something steel, and the leg separated from body.

With one final clash of steel on armor, the Aracylla's legs drew in toward its body, and began to curl.

"Hey, nicely done!" Caspian called.

A man appeared from behind the animatronic's body. Lean, several inches taller than Caspian, even with his slouch. The bridge of his long nose was pierced twice by a set of black triangle studs, the same piercings decorating his ears. His hair was shaved at the sides, spiked in front and tied into a ponytail in back. A wolf's tail flicked from behind him.

The man slung a heavy looking bat over his shoulder, and sunk his other hand into the pocket of his studded black jacket. He strolled around the disabled machine, and looked at Caspian with cold, dark eyes. He wasn't a cute girl, Caspian analyzed. Nor was he a girl at all. ...Nor was he particularly cute. But he took the animatronic down with relative ease, and looked tough.

"It doesn't look like you have a partner..." Caspian hinted.

"I don't. What's your name?" the man asked in reply.

"Caspian, and you?"

He projected the entrance exam's rankings from his school-issue Holoband, and scanned them, starting at the top. The longer he looked, the disdain etched upon his face mounted. "Caspian Skye?" he finally asked, looking up.

"Y-Yeah, that's me!"

The man switched off his Holoband, and turned around. "Good luck," he bid with a dismissing wave.

"Hey, wait!" Caspian pleaded. "The first person you lock eyes with is the one you partner with! Didn't you hear the Headmistress?"

"...Unless you have a compelling personal reason for not being able to work well with said partner," the faunus reminded curtly.

Caspian's shoulders sunk. "Do you... not trust humans? I know faunus are equal on paper now, but it's easier to change laws than people's minds."

"I'm not crazy about them, no." He turned back to Caspian. "There are plenty of faunus I don't care for either."

"Then... what's your reason?" Caspian asked.

"My '_compelling reason'_ is that you have zero points. Goodbye."

Caspian froze where he stood, pangs of indignation and embarrassment saturating his mind. He watched he wolf faunus disappear into the trees, never once turning over his shoulder. He noticed a hum from above him, and aimed Undertow to it's source.

It was a drone, displaying on its side the logo of Port Cyrreine's major television station. Caspian grit his teeth. His weapon's trigger begged to be pulled, but Caspian noticed a slight tremor to his hand.

With a defeated look, he sheathed his weapon.

The Headmaster had returned to his office to view the Final Entrance Examination. He sat at his desk with Headmistress Skye, watching the grid of screens displaying before him. Every minute, one would switch to focus on an applicant, or display a particularly active area of the testing grounds. The two murmured back and forth, the Headmaster occasionally entering in notes or tidbits of data into his computer.

The elevator door opened behind the two.

"I see Cas is having some rotten luck today, poor kid," a man's voice commented. It was not especially deep, but carried an inexplicable suave huskiness.

The Headmaster merely gave a nod and a grunt as reply.

"But, I'm guessing that isn't why you called me here," the voice prompted.

The Headmaster finally turned around to the source of the voice. It was a man about a decade younger than Headmaster and mistress, dressed in dark khaki pants, navy tie, and sky blue button-down with sleeves rolled to his elbows. His chocolate brown hair was swept back behind his ears. Though it looked to be recovering from being recently tied back, it had begun to spread out across his shoulders. A swath of stubble framed his agreeable face.

"I'll start with the good news, Douglas," Headmaster Skye addressed. "Lazula and Snow have teamed up, and are on pace to pass the exam."

"Good. And no surprise there," Douglas answered. He cracked a wry smile. "...And the bad news is why you called me directly to your office? Snow was expecting me down in the stands, you know."

"Exactly. I'm not sure what it is, but I have a bad feeling about today," the Headmaster explained.

Douglas's smile faded. He lowered his voice, though the three were very much alone. "Is it your semblance?"

The Headmaster nodded once, stitching his fingers together. "While I can't be sure, it's a possibility. Griswold has sent organds to help with security-"

"Organds?"

"I've deployed my huntsmen as well, and have safety measures prepared," the Headmaster assured. "If the Red Claw plans to mount another attack like the one last night, the Entrance Examination will be a difficult target. But still, I needed you here, out of harms' way."

"How sweet of you," Douglas teased. His voice hardened. "But your own children are out there."

"My children are armed, and skilled in combat," the Headmaster reminded. He turned back to the screens, their glow reflecting in his glasses. "We'll just have to see how this plays out."


	4. Snake Eyes!

The first thing Rowan saw upon the walls of his holosphere dissolving was sand. Waves lapped upon the water's edge lazily, granting the beach a mask of serenity. He had been the first to drop from his ship, allowing him to watch for a few seconds as numerous other spheres descended into the testing grounds. His gaze flicked from the spheres to scan the surroundings. To his right, a craggy mountain scraped the sky. To his left, the gutted remains of a high rise peeked above the treeline. He took a single step toward the city.

His eyes narrowed, hand resting on the hilt of the sword behind his back.

He backed away slowly from the ground in front of him. It had begun to swell, shaking and twitching as if something underneath was attempting to break free. Finally, the ground ruptured. Rowan shielded his eyes from an explosion of sand. From within, the creature's sharp, steel head reared back. Its body was thick as the trunk of a tree, and impossible to guess how long. A serrated edge ran down its back, with similar, smaller spikes on both sides of the grotesque worm.

"Yuck!" Rowan remarked with a grin.

His moment of disgusted amusement was interrupted by the monster's head bearing down on him like a drill. He swung upward with his greatsword, Sanguine Storm, knocking its head back with a great clash of steel. The attack appeared to have little effect. The creature slung itself into the air, corkscrewing toward Rowan. Half a second before impact, he dove to the side and the worm instead tore back into the sand.

Rowan held his sword out, eyes flicking back and forth across the beach for any sign of his enemy. With a start, his head snapped to his feet. He was flung into the air on a cloud of dust, losing the grip on his sword. In free fall, he saw its handle to one side of his body, and the worm's three jaws unhinging to reveal spiralling rows of teeth. Rowan regained his grip, and twisted his body to shove his weapon down the machine's throat. Upon landing, Sanguine Storm pierced into the sand, and his enemy went limp.

"Huh? That's all?" Rowan complained, pulling his weapon and prodding the worm with his foot. "Should've left me alone. I wanna find a partner."

Rowan's eyes widened, and his head snapped over his shoulder. Two more worms had exploded from the dirt, and drove toward him. He spun with the swing of his weapon, knocking both heads back with the sharp side of his greatsword and returning them to the sand. The ground rumbled beneath his feet. But this time, he cracked a grin. He shoved the tip of Sanguine Storm into the dirt, and hopped up as it exploded once more. His weapon impaled the animatronic's throat, and he flipped through the air, bringing his blade down on the second, which had just emerged from below.

His weapon was halfway in its sheath before Rowan paused. Another Sandworm approached. Rowan planted his feet, and held Sanguine Storm at his hip. The tip separated and folded back, his entire weapon widening to its cannon form. Energy coarsed around his weapon as it began to buzz.

Just before firing, another Sandworm appeared behind him.

A vicious blast of concentrated dust fired into the core of the machine, coursing throughout its length and penetrating through to a boulder dozens of feet down the beach. Rowan leapt with the kick of his gun, transforming it back into a greatsword and shearing through the animatronic behind him.

Rowan panted, checking his Holoband. "Rowan Brown," it displayed. "Aura: 86%."

"Eighty-six? Not bad..." Rowan commented. He turned to the trees. "Now, if I can just find myself a teammate, I think I'll be fine."

Rowan's eyes narrowed as a peculiar sound filled the air. First, a low crumbling. Then, the sound of something being dragged across the sand. He looked back again to see two silver fins rushing across the beach toward him, tearing up clouds of dust in their wake.

"Oh, come on. More?" Rowan impatiently complained. He kept one hand on the handle of Sanguine Storm, rolling to the side as both animatronics broke from the dirt. They were each the size of a minivan, two bulky arms supporting their torso and six smaller ones carrying the weight of their spiked tail. The ground on which Rowan just stood had become a crater of gashes from the grimm's front claws.

The one nearest pounced at the redhead with another claw strike. He braced himself and raised the broad side of his weapon, deflecting the blow into the dirt. He turned with the power behind the animatronic's attack, and brought his weapon across the monster's broad, flat, eyeless head. It rolled across the dirt with a pained shriek, before burrowing back into the sand. Rowan looked to the other Whitefin. He sidestepped one clawed strike, then another. He slashed down the creature's exposed side, but without warning the Whitefin spun on one of its front feet, lashing at Rowan with its tail.

He barely had time to raise his weapon. He blocked the spiny tail, but the force behind it sent him rolling across the ground. He spat out a wad of sand, and leapt to his feet before the ground before him erupted with the first Whitefin's jaws. Rowan transformed his weapon, and stared down the oncoming animatronics before letting loose another blast of dust. The blast tore through the first Whitefin, but glanced off the armor of the second.

As it leapt forward again, Rowan grit his teeth. Crimson waves channeled through his arms and to the tip of his weapon. With three reckless swings, the creature fell to the ground.

The ground shook. Then again.

Rowan panted, looking across the beach now littered with disabled machines. From behind him, he heard a guttural growl, like that of a massive alligator. Shivering, he turned around.

What looked like a dinosaur stood behind him. Two clawed legs, and a smaller set of arms. Its body, armored all the way down its back, was dozens of feet long. Its head was as large as he, with jaws capable of swallowing him whole and a cluster of spikes jutting out from its forehead like a regal steel pompadour. Rowan, standing straight, could have easily passed under the monster's legs.

"Nope. I do _not_ have the time for that!" Rowan decided, taking for the trees. He ran on shaky legs, due in equal parts to the sand, the shaking of the ground, and the horror of the fifteen foot tall Mud Baron at his heels.

Rowan screamed with a mixture of surprise and pain as he has hoisted from his feet with a chunk of dirt, and flung into the air, flailing hopelessly. He crashed into the trunk of a tree on the edge of the beach, rolling in pain and gasping for breath. Sanguine Storm stuck out of the ground some distance away.

Rowan lay on his stomach, letting out a groan. A screen flashed in front of his face. Next to his picture, his aura flashed red, at six percent. "Oh... that's not good," he managed. He looked up. The Mud Baron wandered through the trees, seemingly searching for him. Careful not to step on a twig, Rowan worked his way to the other side of his tree. He picked up a stone, peeked out from his hiding spot, and flung it in the opposite direction of his weapon.

The distraction worked.

Rowan made a dash for Sanguine Storm, flinging up dirt as he ripped it from the ground. His weapon folded back on itself and crimson sparks arked around the barrel of his cannon. As the Mud Baron turned, Rowan let loose a beam of dust. The Baron wrenched backward as the beam crashed into it, staggering on its feet. Rowan's eyes widened as the animatronic began to charge him with furious resolve. He dove to the side just in time to evade the animatronic's head slamming into the ground. With a great thrust, it launched clumps of dirt and stone above the treetops.

Rowan took refuge behind another tree. Smoke spiralled up from his weapon, and its ardent glow had faded. He transformed it back into its sword form, but flinched as the animatronic let loose a deafening roar. The tree shattered just a foot above his head, sending ragged chips and shards across the forest floor. Finding himself under his massive enemy's tail, he sprinted out, red once again swirling around his arm and sword.

He let out a yell, and slashed across the monster's ankle. It screeched, falling to its side.

The top of the shattered tree fell across its body, and it ceased to move.

"I... I did it?" Rowan commented. He grinned "I did it! Now, just to find a-"

A jingle played from his Holoband.

"Congratulations. You have passed Sentinel Academy's Final Entrance Examination," an automated voice announced. "Your test is now over. Please, make your way to the entrance of the arena. Do not attempt to interact further with any animatronics."

Rowan looked down at his wrist quizzically. Another grin came to his face. "Huh... well would you look at that!"

* * *

Ichigo sat on a gutted electrical box, squinted eyes glued to the screen of his laptop. He paid no mind to the screeching grimm soaring by the roof where he sat, nor to the bullets and beams that met them. "...So if I ping all of the computers running these things..." he muttered to himself. His fingers pounded the keys furiously, clattering away like a hailstorm. With the press of a button, a map of the area displayed, littered with blue dots. "...I should be able to find _something_ worthwhile." He smirked, zooming in on the largest. "But that one's too good to be true."

Laptop still in hand, Ichigo walked to the edge of the roof, and looked down. Excitement flared in his eyes as they happened upon a colossal Deathstalker. Its body was nearly as wide as the two-lane street, and with each step forward its claws scraped the buildings to each side.

Ichigo set his laptop up on the side of the building, once again pounding at its keys. Another map displayed, the dots this time a deep red. One single dot seemed to be nearby. Another pair was a couple of blocks away. None approached the Deathstalker.

Apparently satisfied, Ichigo closed his computer and held it by its hinge. Countless segments folded around each other as the object in his hand transformed from laptop to a bullpup submachine gun. Ichigo squeezed the weapon's smaller trigger, and with a high-pitched ring, fired a single pink tracer round fired from just below his gun's barrel. It lodged just behind the animatronic's head.

It didn't seem to notice.

Endless lines of white text flashed through the computer's screen. Ichigo sat still in a trance-like state, a soft fuschia glow coming to his eyes. He paused his scrolling on one specific line, highlighted it with a smirk, and pressed a single button with dramatic flair. Excited grin coming back to his face, he looked over the side of the roof. The Deathstalker's claws fell, and its tail unfurled, slamming to the concrete. It was still.

A furious scratching noise and bloodthirsty growl shook Ichigo from his moment of celebration. He whipped around to see a black dog, with steel face and spikes on shoulders and back, tearing toward him with jaws agape. Ichigo met its leap with a panicked swing, his laptop becoming a hatchet and living up to its name; Hack n' Slash.

His teeth clenched and he cried out as the beast's steel teeth clamped on his arm. He was wrenched into the ground, then flung several feet away as another Hellhound scrambled up through a hole in the roof's opposite end. The one nearest him pounced once more. Ichigo curled up, hatchet raised in a trembling attempt at defense.

A thunderous gunshot rang out, and the top of the Hellhound's head disappeared into a hail of steel fragments. The other turned. A tall young woman dressed in a thrashed black crop top, army green bomber jacket and black shorts with a pistol holstered at each hip, swung her guitar-shaped axe into the creature's side, as if teeing off a golf ball. It let out a mechanical whimper as it was launched off the side of the building, and the two heard a crash moments later.

"Had to chase those damn things up eight flights of stairs. You're lucky I decided it was worth it," she griped. Yellow eyes, with a slit for each pupil, locked with Ichigo's.

"Oh. 'sup, Ichi?"

"H-Hey Laurel," Ichigo weakly greeted. He looked over his arm, seeing his aura had staved off the attack.

Laurel ran a hand through her hair; shaved on one side, black at its roots but brightening to a muted light green toward its tips. She extended a tattooed arm to help him to his feet. "So, how many points you got?" she asked.

"That one alone netted me sixty-five," Ichigo said, pointing off the side of the building. "That's all so far, though."

Laurel nodded. "Those two brought me just under a hundred, so we're not in bad shape." She pursed her lips. "Hm. Do we stay up here and hope I can snipe enough out of the sky, or try our luck on the ground?"

"Whatever we decide, I think we're about to net a whole lot more points," Ichigo replied, not meeting Laurel's gaze.

She smirked. "I like your confidence, but we can't get ahead of ourselves here."

"I'm not," Ichigo replied. He pointed behind her.

A hundred feet above, a Nevermore with wingspan to match an airship opened its beak to let loose a hellish shriek. Wind shook the rooftop as its wings flapped once, air whistling past it as it began its descent upon the two.


	5. Lapis LSLI

Laurel and Ichigo flung themselves to each side of the Nevermore's attack with half a second to spare. Its talons shredded the concrete like paper with a deafening crunch, and the massive winged beast took to the sky once more, shrieking with impatient rage. A deep cracking noise came from within the building, then another. Laurel's eyes widened as the ground she lay on began to shift.

The two halves of the roof began to fall, the huntsmen with them. They settled on the next floor down, but before they could rise to their feet, the remainder of the floor above crashed into the already feeble structure, and they fell once more.

Apparently, the floor below was more stable. Laurel stirred, working her way to hands and knees and looking over to Ichigo. He sat up, brushing dust off Hack n' Slash, and fussing over its many ports and keys.

Laurel nodded, fragments of stone falling from her hair. "Looks like we're headed for the ground, then."

Lazula whipped around, and within a second Aegis was raised. She and Snow had found their way to what looked like a park, nestled between two streets of mid-rises, and what looked like a city hall. A fountain sat in the center of several stone pathways. Broken. Non-functioning, rather. Lazula would have been surprised if water ever actually ran through the derelict old thing. The lower half of a stone woman held onto the fountain's base by the tip of a toe. Nothing above her waist was much more than fist-sized chunks of marble.

Lazula's eyes scanned the buildings for the source of the sound she had just heard. There, at the top of a building about a block away, a huge pair of black wings beat. With a shriek, the Nevermore took to the sky. _That _was a worthwhile target, Lazula thought. She didn't see anyone else engaged with it, and if it had attacked someone in the building, well, it looked like they needed some help.

"Snow, new target," Lazula commanded, pointing at the colossal bird. She took off down the street in the building's direction, Snow tailing her. "When we're close enough, get its attention!"

The beast let out another shriek, before settling back down on the structure's broken edge. It pecked once, then again; like a crow plucking worms from the dirt.

"I can hit at least half of my shots from here," Snow analyzed, her narrowed eyes focusing on the target.

"Good enough."

Snow pulled her weapon's handle from her belt. Two barrels of hard-light dust traced out from it, solidifying into an assault rifle. She raised her weapon even with her eye, and fired.

The bird's head wrenched back and shook as a volley of glowing shots pelted its side. It hopped up from its perch, twisting in midair and divebombing the huntresses below. Snow nimbly rolled aside. Lazula ducked down and took the brunt of the impact into her shield, pivoting on one foot and striking into the animatronic's foot. It fell to the ground, frayed wires sparking in the rain.

"Hey! It's them!" a familiar voice called.

Lazula let her attention off of the Nevermore for a spare moment. Running out of the building was Ichigo, with Laurel just behind him.

"Thanks for getting that thing off us," Ichigo acknowledged between labored breaths. "Not gonna lie, we were a few pecks away from elimination."

"Glad we could help," Lazula returned. She looked up, watching the winged animatronic circle back around.

An ear-splitting roar shook Lazula, Ichigo, and Laurel. The three flinched and hunched over by instinct, shielding themselves from the noise. Snow's head turned down the alley, and she switched her weapon to its blade configuration. From behind the building half a dozen Hellhounds raced toward the four. They were each at least the size of the two that had set upon Ichigo. Their jaws snapped with snarls and barks, crimson eyes glowing with an animated ferocity. Behind them, the alpha of their pack. Twice as tall as Lazula at the shoulder, with three armored heads and a spine of steel blades down its back and upon each leg.

Lazula assessed their situation. The Nevermore hadn't committed to an attack yet, but still circled above. The park, and open air, was to their back. In front of them, a small horde of vicious-looking grimm-machines, and their leader.

Lazula pointed forward. "Laurel! Pick them off!" she turned. "Snow. Hold your fire on the Nevermore for now."

Laurel ran forward, mounting her rifle on the hood of an old-fashioned sedan. Her shots met the Hellhounds, but as each one fell, another joined in from behind their alpha. As they neared, Snow joined in with a barrage from her own gun, and Ichigo from his. Many of their bullets bounced off their armored hides, others lodging in their bodies to little effect.

Lazula ran in. She bashed the first one, hearing its metal joints snap with the force of her blow. She spun and cleaved a second in half, bringing her blade back around on the neck of a third. Snow joined. She struck twice at one Hellhound, before changing into her weapon's axe configuration. She swung upward into its gut, springing backward onto one hand and back to her feet to dodge a flying claw strike from its packmate. Lazula whipped Aegis across her body, dashing the leaping grimm to the street with little effort.

"Uh, guys?" Ichigo called.

With another shriek, the Nevermore dove again. The three-headed beast at the end of the alley began to charge. Ichigo dove to the ground, firing a spray of bullets into the Nevermore's gut. Laurel's shot tore through it, and she wrenched her gun's lever, firing again. Screeching in pain and frustration, it took to the skies.

Snow and Lazula charged in on the three-headed Alpha Hellhound. Snow slid under its ravenous jaws and behind it, before planting her blade in the street to stop herself and kicking upward. Snow lashed at its side with a tempest of strikes, each following the last with perfect fluidity. The beast's claws came around with blinding speed, lending Snow just enough time to evade, and land a blow from her axe. Lazula took the opportunity to land a few strikes of her own, before another claw swipe knocked her off balance.

The creature reared back, raising claws above its head. Lazula judged the incoming attack too strong for even herself, and rolled backward. The pavement shattered below the strike. Snow dodged it, but was knocked back by another claw swipe, this one too quick to dodge.

"_Snow!_" Lazula called.

The huntress was flung backward onto the sidewalk. She bounced and skidded across the pavement for several seconds before planting her hands on the ground and flipping back to her feet. As if she hadn't felt the attack, she chased the Hellhound down once more.

Lazula paused her assault, watching the white-haired huntress dash in and begin again to lash at the animatronic's side. _Where the hell did she learn to fight like this?_

Two beowolves tore down the alley nearest Ichigo. Gritting his teeth and planting his feet, he raised his gun and held down its trigger. The bullets tore at the creatures' synthetic black flesh, but they continued on. Ichigo ducked under a swipe as he transformed his weapon and cleaved at the beast's arm. The Beowolf recoiled, elbow attached by one wire. It bit at Ichigo, but its jaws were closed by an uppercut by his hatchet. Laurel turned her gun down the alley, blasting out the knee of the Beowolf that had not yet reached him.

"Duck!" she yelled. Ichigo obliged, and a bullet tore straight between the eyes of the monster he had engaged with. He struck down on the other, which was attempting to get back to its feet. It was motionless.

With a shout of surprise, Laurel wrenched herself back. Glass shattered in every direction and metal twisted as the car she had mounted her gun on was skewered by a colossal spear of a feather. It pierced through, almost to the concrete below. Feathers rained down on the four, shattering the ground as they fell.

Lazula raised Aegis. At the moment of impact, she turned her shield ever slightly, taking the brunt of the impact but flinging the feather to her side. She screamed as she wrenched her body around and slashed with Impetus. In one sweeping blow, she cleaved a massive hole in the front of the Alpha Hellhound, decapitating one head entirely. A visible arc of wind fired up from her blade, clipping the Nevermore's wing.

It began to fall.

The gleaming blade of Snow's weapon extended into a whip, lassoing the creature's neck and flinging it into the ground. Laurel braced for impact, and swung Snake Eyes, in axe form, straight into the creature's neck.

Its head separated from body, and the Nevermore's wings draped limply upon the walls to each side of the street.

Lazula panted, and heard a chorus of jingles from all four Holobands.

"Congratulations. You have passed Sentinel Academy's Final Entrance Examination. Your test is now over. Please, make your way to the entrance of the arena. Do not attempt to interact any further with any animatronics."

* * *

Lilly stepped carefully down the worn path cut into the mountain's side. A wall of jagged stone was to one side, affording little space between it and the steep drop below. A much wider ledge was several yards in front of her, and she hurried her footwork to leave her treacherous perch.

She found the ledge no safer. As she rounded the corner, an Ursa turned its head toward her. It stood up from all fours, and let loose a thunderous roar before beginning to charge.

The feather-haired huntress opened her parasol, deflecting a clawed attack into the wall. With her free hand, she flipped a latch at its handle, producing a rapier from inside of the stick. She whipped it across the Ursa's chest, and jabbed its gut before pulling back to evade another attack. She twirled as she stepped backward, her parasol cover glowing with a soft white light. A spire of stone ripped from the ground, and impaled the mechanized bear's side.

She sheathed her rapier once more, folding her parasol and propping it back onto her shoulder. She paused, eyes widening a hair. A man stood behind the ursa. Tall, spiked black hair formed into a wide mohawk, thick black boots, thrashed skinny pants, and a studded leather jacket to match. He slung a bat over his shoulder, and cocked his head back.

"What's your name?" the man asked.

"Lilliane," Lilly replied. She gave a quick, gentle laugh. "Though I suppose most just call me Lilly. And you are?"

The man projected a screen from his wrist. He scanned the rankings for several seconds in silence before looking up. "Noxis. Noxis Orion."

Lilly bid him a chaste smile, and a slight bow of the head. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Noxis."

"Mm-hm."

Lilly pursed her lips at his noncommittal reply. "...I see your tail," she offered. "I'll wager a guess that you're a canine faunus of some variety?"

"A wolf, actually," Noxis explained. He leaned in a bit, narrowing his eyes. "That hair of yours. It doesn't look human either."

Lilly pulled her ponytail to the front of her body, running her fingers once through its feathery volume. "My mother's hair is much the same," she said proudly. "I'm a dove faunus, and she's a raven."

* * *

Caspian raced through the forest, gasping for breath with each desperate step. Yet, his mind ran faster. He had disabled a handful of Beowolf animatronics, but his score was no more than a quarter the threshold for passing. He had no idea how much time was left in the test. Twenty minutes had passed by his estimation, and the list of applicants still actively testing had thinned considerably. He still hadn't found a partner. Rowan had passed by the time he was rejected by that black-haired faunus. Ichigo had teamed up with Laurel, Snow had teamed up with his sister, and both pairs passed several minutes before. Lilly had teamed up with the guy who rejected him, and passed just after that. _Who does that guy think he is?_

Caspian's heart felt as if it stopped mid-beat. The screen showing applicant rankings froze for a second before going blank, and a jingle played from his Holoband.

"Sentinel Academy's Final Entrance Examination has concluded. Please, make your way toward the arena entrance. Do not attempt to interact further with any animatronics."

"No. No no no _nononono!_" Caspian pleaded, pounding a finger into his Holoscreen. He slowed to a trot, then fell to his knees. Mud splashed onto his fists and coat as he slammed the ground in despair. Somehow, he knew this would happen. With all those who applied, _someone_ had to fail, after all. And of course that someone would be Caspian.

Caspian. The son of Twilight Crusade's famous leader. The one who led his band of amateur huntsmen against the Church of Awakening; a cult responsible for thousands of deaths, and the extermination of several villages in Northern Mistral, all in their attempt to bring back the Brother of Destruction. The one who had gone on to become Headmaster of Sentinel Academy, unheeding the cries that a new school in this time of peace was a waste of time, money, and dust.

Caspian. The brother of Lazula Skye. The Indomitable Girl, who had not once lost a tournament match. Hardly any lasted more than a minute against her. Her aura, her strength, it all seemed far too much for one person. She exuded that strength and confidence wherever she went, a naturally-born leader.

"Do remember, if you were unsuccessful in passing the examination, your transcripts will be sent to all other schools," Caspian's holoband reminded.

The automated voice and the blue arrow guiding him to the entrance of the arena seemed to mock him. He obliged begrudgingly, plodding along in the direction it demanded. His face was a catatonic mask, eyes frozen on the ground. Maintaining even his default smile against the maelstrom inside his mind was too much energy.

"_How am I going to face my family?_"

The cheers of the crowd grew louder as Caspian neared the stands. He didn't want to be seen by them. If only there was a backdoor, he thought. But he remembered one single bottleneck as the passage between the spectators' stands, and the bridge to Sentinel. He had no choice but to keep walking.

Nearer still, the cheers of the crowd degraded into something horrific. Caspian heard screams and wails, breaking above the shrill sound of countless unearthly shrieks and roars. An alarm began to blare. Caspian leapt with surprise as his Holoband screamed with an alert.

"Incoming Grimm attack. Threat level: six. Please evacuate the area in a timely manner."

Caspian's tongue swelled in his throat. His heart pounded against his chestplate, and he felt hot under his outfit. The Grimm were here. This couldn't be part of the test, could it? After what happened the night before, there's no way his father would do something like this.

...Right?

Caspian jogged around one last corner on the edge of the broken city, and the stands finally came into view. A black swarm of Grimm swirled above the spectators' stands, screaming with fury as their claws tore at the hard-light walls between them, and the hundreds of people huddled inside.

A hulking beast stood at the lone passage between the arena and Sentinel's campus. Nearly three times Caspian's height, and just as wide. It was indescribably ugly. Broad shoulders like a bull, muscle bulging underneath the black flesh of its gangly arms. It had the horns of a ram, and white face far too human for Caspian's comfort.

The Headmaster's face appeared on the hard-light barrier. "This is not part of the examination. These _are not_ animatronics," he spoke urgently. "A safe zone has been set up in Sentinel Stadium. I have deployed all of my huntsmen and dozens of organds to campus to ensure your safety. Please, make your way there in a quick, but orderly fashion."

The Bullfiend reared its head back, letting loose a bellow of eldritch rage. It charged forward, crashing into the stands with the force of a steam engine. The Headmaster disappeared and screams poured out of the newly formed crack in the dust barrier. It pulled backward slowly, a growl arising in its throat.

Caspian's trembling hand grasped Undertow, and pulled it from its sheath. He held the weapon at his side, trying to keep his breath even as his eyes met the monster's.


	6. Fight or Flight

Lazula and Snow were almost to the door of the Student Fitness Center when the alarms began to blare. A voice warned the crowd to get inside, and stay as calm as they could manage. Yet Lazula could see the cause of panic. Toward the water, above the sports fields and sparring courts temporarily housing vendors stalls and picnic tables, winged beasts soared.

"_...Another attack._" Lazula let out a breath to compose her thoughts. "I'm going to help."

"I... I don't think I should," Ichigo decided after a pause, with a quiver in his voice. He looked to Laurel. "I mean, you saw me against the animatronics." He indicated his Holoband. "Rowan says he's in the locker rooms. I-I think I'll meet up with him."

"I won't ask anyone else to come with me. These are real Grimm. If you don't kill them, they _will _kill you," Lazula reminded. "If you would like to, help would be welcome."

Lazula abandoned the doors to the SFC, swimming against the crowd that rushed inside. Snow and Laurel followed. She ran through everyone she knew was testing. Laurel and Snow were beside her. Ichigo and Rowan were in the Student Fitness Center, and unless the attack spread, they would be safe by her guess.

That left Caspian and Lilly.

"Snow, call Lilly. Make sure she's safe, and tell her to message me when she can."

"Understood."

"This area is under attack by the Creatures of Grimm. Please, evacuate to Sentinel Stadium immediately," a man dressed in Frontline's Organic Android uniform demanded. His tone was authoritative, but devoid of the worry Lazula would expect of the situation. He, and a similarly dressed woman, guided a score of horrified spectators toward the stadium. Lazula ignored the android's request, instead poking at the call symbol next to her brother's portrait.

"The person you are trying to reach is currently not in range of service. Please try again later."

"_Shit._"

"Lilly is currently inside of Sentinel Stadium, she said she's safe," Snow reported.

"Good," Lazula responded. That, at least, was a relief. But Caspian was another issue entirely. CCTS service should cover all of Port Cyrreine, she reasoned. The only dead spot would be one deliberately made. She pounded the call symbol again.

"The person you are trying to reach is-"

Lazula broke into a run.

What was a pleasant, rainy yet festive day just minutes before had degenerated into pure chaos. Lazula couldn't tell whether the screams of grimm or human assaulted her ears from each direction. Gunfire erupted from the crowd, striking down several of the Nevermores and Griffons that dotted the sky. Yet as one fell, it seemed as if two more would take its place.

Laurel took off to the side, some distance from where organds guided groups of spectators and students alike into the stadium. She mounted her gun on a picnic table, and began to fire rounds into the air. The Grimm faded as they fell, disintegrating to nothing before reaching the ground.

Lazula found her path to the bridge blocked by an Ursa. It matched her speed, trampling toward her on all fours. As she neared, she raised Aegis, taking the bone-crushing force of the collision into her arm. She spun, channeling her semblance into a single forceful swing. Impetus tore from the Ursa's hip to opposite shoulder. Flesh to both sides of the massive gash began to dissolve. Lazula punched the fallen creature to the side, continuing onto a handful of Beowolves.

She slashed twice across the gut of the first, bashing with Impetus to knock the beast's two halves apart. She dashed to impale a second, tearing her blade from its chest and into the neck of another. Snow joined her, lashing at the creatures without a semblance of fear, attacking as if they were animatronics that would let up as soon as they brought her aura to zero.

Several screams broke out from nearby. Snow cast her glance to the side, where a Creep broke from its pack to chase down a large family. The white-haired huntress lashed out with her weapon's whip configuration, its barbed spines binding the Grimm's arms to its body as it wrapped around. Snow ripped it toward her and flipped through the air, transforming her weapon into its axe configuration and cleaving the beast in two.

Without waiting for a word of thanks, she leapt back toward the black horde surrounding Lazula.

A pack of Beowolves surrounded Lazula. She panted through grit teeth, a lock of hair falling from place and draping across her nose. She stared the beasts down. The real ones were a bit larger than the machines on Sentinel's training island. The leathery skin she had seen on the animatronics was pitch black fur, and the steel plates of armor she had grown used to now looked to be made of bone.

One broke the standoff, leaping at her with a ferocious snarl. She blocked its swipe, despatching it easily. But more assailed her from each side, taking her broken focus to their advantage.

She had taken out four or five by the time a shadow crossed in front of her, too fast for her to make out any particular form. Wind whipped by her and she looked to the side to see a woman in all black, katana raised to the end of a calculated slash.

Three Grimm in her path began to dissolve, dark essence flowing into her katana as she sheathed it.

The woman was about her father's age, the beginning of grey streaks appearing in her pitch black hair. A lock to each side of her face looped under her ear, rejoining the ponytail in back. Her face was obscured by a white and red mask, modelled after the face of a fox. Though her life as a huntress had officially ended with the Grimm's first defeat, her lean muscle and athletic physique had deteriorated strikingly little in the years since.

Lazula nodded out of gratitude. "Mrs. Kurayami," she greeted. "Thank you. Ichigo is safe, he's in the SFC right now."

The woman turned, revealing a badge on her right breast. "Sentinel Academy; Head of Security," it read on each side of the school's crest.

"It is nothing," she said. "And thank you very much for the update. But please, get Snow to safety as well. A safe zone has been set up inside of Sentinel Stadium."

Lazula shook her head as Snow finished off one final Creep and regrouped with her. "We'll be fine," she assured. "We should focus on clearing out the Creatures of Grimm."

Mrs. Kurayami placed a hand on Lazula's shoulder as she began to turn, clutching Impetus's handle. "I have been ordered by your father to find you and secure Snow. I do not doubt your abilities, but this is a direct order!"

"Why is Snow's safety being held above everyone else's?" Lazula questioned, edge of impatience arising in her voice. She grimaced at the shrieks of human and grimm alike. "People will _die_ if I don't fight!"

"Your father has deployed all of the huntsmen he has available." Mrs. Kurayami turned to Snow. "I understand why you wish to fight as well. But please, come to safety."

"MY _BROTHER _IS STILL IN THERE!" Lazula pleaded, violently beckoning to the bridge.

Mrs. Kurayami's eyes widened, and she raised her wrist to place a call. "Pierce! I have found Lazula. She says Caspian is still inside of the Stadium!"

Lazula heard a man on the other end swear in a gruff voice. "Meet me at the mouth of the bridge. But make sure Lazula takes Snow to the Stadium."

"I'm sorry," Snow offered as she, Lazula, and Laurel joined the crowd funneling into safety.

"It's not your fault," Lazula dismissed, staring straight ahead.

"I'm... worried about Caspian."

Lazula sighed. "...So am I."

The three found their way into Sentinel Stadium, finding Lilly calming an elderly couple among the masses mumbling, fidgeting and weeping in the stands. After exchanging a few words, Lazula and Laurel left Snow with the faunus, and stood guard outside of the stadium's main doors. Laurel picked Grimm off from a distance as Lazula stayed near, guarding the stragglers from beasts that strayed too close.

She kept a spare eye on the people who entered, hoping to catch a glimpse of her brother.

An infant's cries permeated the air inside of the stadium, shrill above the indistinct muttering of the masses. Her mother, a young woman with curly locks of brown hair, cradled the baby in a vain attempt at consoling her. Snow cocked her head slightly, as if examining the situation. Without a word to Lilly, she stepped toward them.

"Excuse me," Snow introduced. "May I hold your child?"

The woman looked to Snow uneasily with fatigued eyes. She looked down to her child and stood, handing the baby over. Snow cradled the girl gently, and began to hum a soothing tune. The child's cries lessened to a whimper as Snow rocked her slowly. Then, silence.

* * *

The solid sheets of rain buffeting Caspian's face glowed red under the flashing of countless holographic warnings. The Bullfiend's eyes shone brighter. A grey fog rose from its drooling maw, obscuring the horrified faces of those who looked on. The ground shook with each of the beast's steps toward Caspian. It looked to be sizing him up, a predator slowly closing in on its prey.

Without warning, it began to charge.

Caspian's heart leapt out of his chest. As if his body puppeted his mind, he ran forward, blade in hand.

The abominable creature lowered its head, stark white horn aimed for his gut. Caspian tumbled to the side. The ground was filthy, but preferable to being gored by a horn the width of a grapefruit. He sprung back to his feet as the fiend skidded to a stop. Caspian tore at its thigh with Undertow in the best imitation of his sister's strike. He stepped forward, reversing his blade's momentum to slash into its gut. The Bullfiend roared, swinging wildly with claws half the length of Caspian's own weapon. He screamed, diving back to the mud with dangerously little time to spare.

Caspian rolled onto his feet, gaining some distance between he and the monster. Once again, it bolted at him. Sinking back and raising his weapon with a trembling arm, he fired a shot into its eye, stopping it in its tracks as a thick black liquid began to seep down its bony mask. Caspian's next shot wasn't as accurate, leaving little mark in the bone next to its remaining eye. He took off, running an arc around to the beast's blind side. Undertow's bullets of dust tore through its pelt, smoking from the wounds they produced.

A snarl from his side, then screams. Caspian turned to see a Beowolf clawing at the crack the Bullfiend's horns had left in the barrier, the last vestige of protection between human and Grimm. The beast had pried its way through the crack all the way to its waist, and began to claw at the bleachers as spectators huddled in the corners, shrieking and clutching each other in an instinctive bid at comfort.

"_Damn it, not now!_" Caspian agonized. He turned his gun on the Beowolf, firing shot after shot until it ceased to move, and began to dissolve. The ground shook, and Caspian heard a ferocious, unearthly roar from his side.

He whipped around just in time to take the beast's horn below his chestplate.

Caspian screamed in pain as it pierced his shirt, and he felt the needle-like tip stop on his skin. He was flung backward, flipping through the air for what felt like several seconds before slamming back to the ground, skidding and rolling as waves of cobalt aura crackled around him.

He ended up on his back, Undertow out of reach to his side. He gasped for breaths that would not come, still feeling the sharp pain of the monster's horn in his stomach. He felt at it. _Wet_. Grimacing, he looked at his hand, feeling a moment of relief to see his hand coated merely in mud.

His celebration was short-lived. He groaned in agony as the Bullfiend perched over him, crushing his right arm beneath its weight. He clawed feebly at its wrists, trying to free himself. The beast's grotesque face, the size of his torso, neared. Black sludge still seeped from its hollow eye socket. Caspian shuddered, feeling the creature's viscous drool dribble onto his neck. He smelled the stench of rot on the monster's hot, musty breath.

In a last resort, Caspian raised his armguard to shield his face. His teeth clamped down on the handle of a straight-bladed dagger, wrenching it from its sheath. He spat it out, snatching its handle from the air and driving the blade deep into the monster's remaining eye. Black sludge exploded onto his face and hand, and his ears were shattered by an agonized roar.

Caspian felt the weight let off his arm.

He pulled out from under the beast, making a mad dash for Undertow. He scooped his weapon from the ground as he sprinted, finally stopping to turn once he made it some distance away. He held down Undertow's trigger. The gun began to vibrate and hum, steam raising from its glowing barrel as energy gathered around it. He let fire a beam of focused energy into the monster's neck. Yet as his gun kicked, a sudden, torturous pulse worked its way down Caspian's arm, clutching his heart. He suddenly found himself unable to stand.

The last thing he saw within the greying edges of his vision was the Bullfiend fading away in the rain.

* * *

**A/N: Heya! Reviews mean a lot to me, so if you feel inclined, let me know what you guys think! This is the first point (chronologically in the plot, at least), that I've had explicitly planned for some time, so I'm excited to finally be getting this chapter out! And for those of you who have played the Witcher 3, you may notice some not-so-accidental similarities between this monster and one from the game!**


	7. Welcome to Sentinel

Caspian spent what was apparently the next couple of hours in varying states of consciousness.

His eyes opened just long enough to see a rugged-looking man with a scarred face and black hair pulled into a bun leaning over him. Caspian's sleeve rolled to his elbow, and a steel eye examined his arm. The man lacked Sentinel's security badge, and a dark cloak covered much of his body, but Caspian recognized him. Sure, he couldn't have fought back if the man was a stranger, given his state. But as he scooped him from the mud, Caspian felt a twinge of relief before drifting away again.

"He's alright. Not bleeding, but the bruising on his arm is bad," a gravelly voice commented. Caspian felt his weight transfer to something much softer than the cloaked man's arms. "Probably passed out from pain once the adrenaline wore off. Or the kick of his gun did it. Important thing is, he's alive."

"Oh, my baby!" his mother's voice wept in elation. Both voices were muffled, as if they spoke behind a closed door. Yet, Caspian distinctly remembered feeling his mother's arms around him. "Thank you, you and Kita both! Really, I... I can never thank you enough!"

"As head of security, this is simply my job. No thanks is necessary," a woman's voice responded. Ichigo's mother, Caspian guessed by the accent. A rare one, from the mountains of Northern Mistral. She paused. "...It is appreciated, though."

"She said it well," the gruff voice added. "Gotta give props to the kid though, he held his own against that thing. I can see a bit of his dad in him."

"_My dad... right._"

Caspian's eyes opened once to an empty room. He felt safe, but the space seemed uninviting in a way. The chaste grey curtains were drawn over the window. A near-empty desk sat at the far corner accompanied by a minimalist chair. The walls, apart from those covered by cabinets above the desk, were a barren off-white. He was rigged to an array of wires and medical equipment, right arm secured by a sling and a cast. His eyes still could not stay open, and he drifted off once more.

He heard another voice. A man's he had heard many times before. He couldn't make out his uncle's words, but heard bouts of laughter perforate them every now and then.

A clear memory began to play out in Caspian's mind like a dream.

The Winter Holiday had just passed, Remnant's annual celebration of the end of the Great War just over a hundred years before. All of his friends had stayed overnight with their parents, and upon waking had found themselves trapped by nearly a foot of snow. His friends- Rowan, Ichigo, Laurel, and Lazula, gathered in the living room playing a board game; the particular one he could no longer recall.

His father strode out from the kitchen, Holoband raised to his chin as he cut through the living room and into the hall. A hush fell over the boisterous crowd, the pounding of the Headmaster's cane on the hardwood floor filling the room with each of his labored steps.

"You... you what?" the Headmaster hissed. His eyes flicked to Caspian and the rest, then back to his door at the end of the hall. "No, no. I'm glad, this is just unexpected..."

His father took to his room for a few minutes, during which the game resumed and spirits lifted again. But with the unlocking of his door, another hush fell over the house. Everyone's eyes landed on the Headmaster, prompting an answer.

"That was Douglas," he spoke. "He wants to introduce you all to someone. They'll be here in about an hour."

Caspian awaited the knock on the door with bated breath. His father had been quiet since, the sole hint to the mystery guest's identity being "_one of Frontline's patients_." When the knock on the door came, Caspian sprung up to meet it. Yet, his father was faster.

His uncle stood at the door, trying his best to hold back a grin. Behind him was a girl. She was slender and short, standing level with Caspian's chin. Between boots, collared shirt, pale skin, stark hair and colorless eyes, she blended in with the snowy yard behind her. Her shirt and short denim overalls carried the creases of clothes fresh from the store. Caspian bid her a welcoming smile as their eyes met, but it faded as she stared at him without expression.

"Everyone," Uncle Douglas announced, indicating the girl. "This is Snow. She'll be living with Holly and I for the time being, at least until she enrolls in Sentinel with you." He smirked. "I hope you kids can play well together."

Caspian was crowded from behind, and heard a cascade of questions tumble down on the poor girl.

"How did you end up at Frontline?"

"You're coming to Sentinel with us?"

"Show us your weapon!"

"What's your semblance?"

Snow stepped into the doorway, looking at no one in particular. "My name is Snow Hudson. I was taken in by Frontline Biomedical Technology for treatment, and will be joining you in applying to Sentinel Academy. My weapon includes four hard-light dust configurations, taking the shape of a sword, military-grade dust rifle, an axe, and a whip. These configurations are labelled A through D, respectively. My semblance allows me to analyze nearly all of an object's physical properties, such as mass, velocity, and chemical composition."

The room was quiet.

"Well, i-it's nice to meet you, Snow," Caspian concluded.

Her head turned until she looked to him with a blank gaze. The white of her eyes struck him.

"It's nice to meet you as well."

The next thing Caspian remembered, after realizing Snow was even more awkward around new people than he, was Snow leaving the room to consult with his father. Uncle Douglas sat down, wringing his hands and leaning in with an uncharacteristically serious look painting his face.

"I want you all to know something about Snow," Douglas murmured. "I deal more with the... technology side of things at Frontline, but she's suffered from one of the most serious cases of abuse I've seen in my time there. It's taken her a month just to get cleared for release."

The room responded with nods of understanding.

"I hope you can all be friends. But... it would be best if you guys didn't ask her much about her past."

The honking sound of a chair scooting across the ground scraped the memory from Caspian's mind.

"Oops."

Caspian's eyes blinked open, again revealing the unwelcoming room. He looked to his side to see his uncle, hand resting on the back of the chair. He stepped around the front of the seat, and sat next to Caspian's bedside facing him. Caspian wouldn't have preferred anyone else at the moment. Uncle Doug was like a second father to him, one far more empathic than the first. Sure his work at Frontline -whatever it was- kept him busy, and he always made a point to put his wife first, but he always had time for Caspian.

"Good morning," he greeted with a wry smile.

"It's not actually morning, is it?" Caspian grumbled, rubbing an eye. He looked to Uncle Doug. "And where am I?"

"You're in Sentinel's infirmary," Douglas informed. "And no, you've been unconscious for a little over two hours."

Sentinel's infirmary. Caspian figured if he had been seriously injured, he would have been taken to Frontline's main hospital, just a couple of miles away at the tip of Port Cyrreine's Northern peninsula. But still, whether due to the cast or his injury, he could barely move his arm. With any twitch of the finger, a nagging, dull, ache would spread from wrist to elbow.

"...Did I break my arm?"

Uncle Douglas shook his head. "When your mom stopped by earlier, she checked you out. She said a couple of ligaments got twisted up in your elbow, and there were some bone bruises down your arm. You should be fine to go to the Entrance Ceremony tonight."

Caspian's functional hand gripped the blankets at his waist, and he looked wistfully to the foot of his bed.

"I don't want to go."

Douglas sighed. "Don't you want to support your friends?" he prompted.

"I do, and I'm glad they got in, but..." Caspian shook his head gently. "I don't know. I just really don't want to watch all the other people who did."

Douglas nodded. He unstrapped his Holoband from his wrist, unravelling it until it lay flat on the table beside Caspian's bed. A screen blinked to life between the two of them. "Maybe this'll change your mind," he offered. He leaned into his Holoband.

"Show news for Port Cyrreine."

The screen paused for a bit before showing two news anchors at a table, with a smaller screen imposed behind them. "Frightening moments on the campus of Sentinel Academy today, as a second Grimm attack occurs less than twenty-four hours after the first," the anchor reported.

The co-host chimed in. "This Grimm attack happened at the end of Sentinel's Final Entrance Examination. While no one was killed or seriously injured, thousands were forced to flee as the Creatures of Darkness descended on the area just North of Sentinel Stadium."

"Headmaster Skye's safety measures, along with Frontline Biomedical's Organic Androids and several huntsmen are credited with saving countless lives today. However, there is one more hero getting some special attention after today's events."

The miniature screen behind the two overtook them. A man in a blue raincoat offered a microphone to another man, whose hoodie had soaked through in the rain.

"Yeah, we- we were stuck in the stands, with this huge Grimm between us and the exit," he began, hands flailing with each animated word. "I-I-I looked to my wife and said, 'th-this might be it, I love you.' but- but just then, this kid comes out of the training grounds, I don't know if he was late or what, and he starts fighting the thing. Without him, I'm not sure if I'd be here."

The screen switched to a woman holding a bright umbrella. "Yes, I think he should get in! I think fighting a _real_ Creature of Grimm and saving _real _people is as good a practical exam as any, and he passed."

"Wait, am... am I..." Caspian stumbled. He felt silly even daring let the words leave his lips.

"I can't guarantee you'll get in," Douglas said. "But, your dad isn't as '_by the books_' as he lets on these days. He might make a special case for you." He stood suddenly, strapping his Holoband back to his wrist and checking the time. "I won't force you to go. But if you do, I'd start getting ready as soon as you can. It's in an hour, and seeing as no one has been let out of the stadium since the attack, all the good seats are just about gone. You might want to wash yourself off a bit, too. Showers are at the end of the hall."

* * *

Caspian had seen the hulking Sentinel Stadium from the outside, but his first time inside, he felt utterly dwarfed. A wall of spectators surrounded the center, their collective chatter coalescing into a roar. The Academy hopefuls lucky enough to get in, Caspian noticed, sat in the arena in rows between him and a temporary stage. A square of screens hovered dozens of feet above, flashing advertisements and promotions.

"You were right about the good seats filling up..." Caspian noted, walking down the steps and scanning for enough uncomfortable plastic seats for him, his Uncle Douglas, and Aunt Holly.

Douglas pointed to a trio of seats a couple of rows down, next to the aisle. "Ah, what about there?"

Caspian would have preferred not sitting shoulder-to-shoulder with a stranger, but the redheaded woman with impeccable posture seemed good enough a neighbor. She paid him little mind as he sat next to her, even as he examined her unusual uniform. It was one he would expect of some fancy company's secretary. Maybe she just got off work, he guessed.

She turned ever slightly, allowing Caspian a glimpse at her side opposite him. Written in slim black letters, the words "Frontline Biomedical" adorned her chest.

"_What?_"

Caspian couldn't stop himself from whispering the word in disbelief. The android woman looked at him without a hint of expression. His eyes met hers. Something about their stony grey gaze seemed so... _human_. Of course he knew Organic Android skin, hair, and eyes were grown from human stem cells- hence the "Organic" in their name, but this woman looked like any other in the crowd.

Her gaze remained on him for an uncomfortable amount of time. He could feel it on him as he looked back to the stage, begging the ceremony to begin. He knew she couldn't think. She couldn't be made to feel uncomfortable by his gaze, nor could she be annoyed. Her stare carried no cognition whatsoever. It was the stare of a mindless computer collecting data through two cameras that happened to look like human eyes.

Finally, the lights dimmed, and the ceremony began.

The announcement of teams dragged on for some time, each name coupled with a bout of cheers from somewhere in the crowd, and each team coupled with a more general applause. The squirrel faunus and her partner got in, Caspian noticed. He felt happy for them. Yet with each team the Headmaster announced, and every name that wasn't his, his flicker of hope dwindled.

"This brings us down to the last two teams," the Headmaster announced. "Lazula Skye, Snow Hudson, Laurel Verdi, and Ichigo Kurayami. Would you four please come to the stage?"

Lazula strode up, with Snow behind her. More cheered for them than anyone prior, probably owing to Lazula's celebrity status. Laurel smiled as she followed, and Ichigo glanced at the onlookers, filling in behind her.

"After seeing the teamwork you four exhibited in the Final Entrance Examination, and how hard you fought during the Grimm attack after, I simply couldn't let you end up on different teams. During your time at the Academy, you will work under the name Team LSLI; lead by Lazula Skye."

The stadium erupted with cheer. Lazula drank it in, smirking and staring down the camera drone that hovered in front of the four. Her cape flowed behind her as she cleared the stage.

"And finally, I call Rowan Brown, Lilliane Corvis-Braun, and Noxis Orion to the stage."

Caspian blinked. There were only three of them. Lilly, rising onto the balls of her feet to brush sand from Rowan's nose. Rowan, complaining about the sand in his hair and clothes. And Noxis, crossing his arms and looking as if he'd rather be with anyone else. Caspian turned to his uncle, whose lips let on the beginnings of a smile.

"You three passed Sentinel's Final Entrance Exam quite handily," the Headmaster began. "But, as you may realize, there are only three of you standing on the stage right now."

A spotlight shone on Caspian, and a pair of drones gathered a couple of arms' lengths away. His heart began to pound as he realized his shocked face was on the screen, displayed to thousands in the stadium, and countless more watching from home all across Vale.

"During the attack today, something happened. Facing down danger and the very real possibility of death, this young man was given a choice. He chose to fight. I believe his actions today saved numerous lives, and exhibited exactly what it means to be a huntsman."

Caspian felt a stinging in his nose, and blinked away the beginning of tears. "_Don't cry. Don't cry_," he recited. "_Oh gods, how many people are about to see me cry?_"

"Caspian Skye, please come down to the stage."

Uncle Douglas clapped Caspian on the back as he passed into the aisle, and Aunt Holly grabbed his hand with a smile. As the stadium erupted with applause, Caspian walked down the stairs in quick, measured steps, finally reaching the arena and stage.

"You made it, man!" Rowan cheered.

"Congratulations!" Lilly beamed.

"After seeing you step up to face the Bullfiend, there was no doubt in my mind I would allow you admission into the academy," the Headmaster stated. "During your time here, you will work under the name Team CRLN, led by Caspian Skye."

"_Lead by?_" Caspian reflected. "_...I couldn't have heard that right._"

"_Lead by?_ Is this a _joke?_" Noxis spat.

His words were lost in the roar of the crowd. From where Caspian stood, the stands seemed so much taller than before. The wall of spectators was over a hundred feet tall, maybe two. Shutter flashes blinked across the crowd like a swarm of fireflies. He looked down. Even his sister applauded him. Ichigo, Laurel, and Snow sat with her; and Lilly and Rowan stood to his side.

The tears he had fought to hold back all broke free at once, and he hid his face from the world.

* * *

**A/N: Heya! I'm a pretty busy person, who works 20+ hours a week, is finishing his degree, and volunteering another 10-ish hours a week in a lab. I'm going to try to stick to an upload schedule of about a chapter a week for now, but if I'm not able to, that's why!**

**As another note, LSLI is pronounced "Lazuli," as in Lapis Lazuli. CRLN is pronounced Cerulean, a dark sky blue.**


	8. Making a Statement

"Okay, let's go ahead and get started for the day!" Professor Corvis-Braun began eagerly. Caspian looked to the lecture hall's stage, where Lilly's mother peeked over the podium. Whenever Caspian had seen the diminutive, feathery-haired woman in the past, she wore some stylish mixture of cardigan, blazer, skirt, sweater, vest, and tights. Her outfit never strayed away from moody hues of black, white, midnight blue, and silver. Apparently, her work attire was no exception.

"Welcome to your first day of Interspecies History!" the professor announced. A pair of dark eyes flicked to the full rows of long, rounded tables forming eight half-circles up to the back of the room. "I'm Professor Corvis-Braun, but you can call me Professor Corvis if it's easier. Or Professor Braun, I love my husband. This class has the reputation of being a bit dry, especially at a school that teaches Grimm Studies and Practical Weapons Training. But! It's important. Plus, every year I've had a handful of students that really take to this class, so that might end up being you!" She took a sip from her water before continuing. "This is a special year for me, because my own daughter happens to be in this room! I won't call her out, but-"

Lilly smiled and turned, waving to the rows behind her.

"Oh! Well then, that's her," Professor Corvis confirmed above a chorus of laughter and "aww"-s. "Anyway, though faunus are equal in law now, and a big city like this sees very little overt racism, we're living in quite an important time right now. Can anyone tell me why this class has become so relevant?"

After several seconds, she pointed to a hand toward the back of the room.

"The Red Claw?"

Professor Corvis-Braun pulled back a bit in surprise. "Yes! I mean, that wasn't the answer I was looking for, but that's an important issue we'll cover in depth starting next week. Any other answers? Good answer, by the way."

At the furthest section of the room, a few rows back, Noxis raised his hand. Professor Corvis called on him.

"I wouldn't count them as a species," Noxis began, leaning back in his chair. "But are you talking about Organds?"

By the end of his first lecture at Sentinel, Caspian's wrist burned from writing, and his stomach was empty. The beginning of class saw a quick, broad overview of course content, which eventually shifted into administrative and logistic details of the class. Professor Corvis finished with a minute to spare, just as the zipping and shuffling of all the backpacks in the room began to drown her out.

Caspian clutched his stomach. "Man, I'm hungry. After Grimm Studies, you guys wanna meet at The Roots?"

"I'm down. I'll ask Ichigo," Rowan agreed.

"I suppose I'll stop by for a bit," Lilly said. "I'm meeting a new friend later this afternoon, though."

Unease crept into Caspian's mind_. A new friend..._

"_Want to come to The Roots after next class?_" Caspian typed into his Holoband. He looked across the room.

Noxis flashed his Holoband's screen, looking at it for a few seconds. He shut it off, slung his bag over a shoulder, and made his way out the door.

As Cedar Hall, Sentinel's first-year dormitory building, was built into the side of the steep hill holding the academy above the bay, The Roots Cafe was below ground level on one side, but well above the street on the other. One wall was almost entirely windows, revealing the impressive view from shopping center to the North, to the flat tract of land across the street that held the SFC, sports fields and sparring courts to the South. Looming furthest away, against a backdrop of skyscrapers and sea, was Sentinel Stadium.

The Roots itself was quite cozy, Caspian thought. The side furthest from the windows was a winding maze of counters and kiosks. It got fairly busy at dinner, but the food seemed decent so far, a selection from all over Remnant. Toward the windows, comfortable booths and tables in many shades of brown found space among gently curving half-walls and wooden pillars. At each end of the cafeteria was a near-abstract mural of huntsmen and Grimm.

The day after initiation, Rowan found a round table nestled in a half-circle alcove facing the window. Every meal since, he had refused to sit anywhere else.

"The flesh of Frontline Biomedical Technology's Organic Androids is created from human stem cells. The 'organic components,' as they are called, are mounted onto a titanium alloy and carbon-fiber frame, making Organic Androids nearly indistinguishable from humans," Caspian read. "Though they look much like us, what would be their brain is actually called a 'Brain-Core System.' The 'core,' in the android's chest, handles power and low-level internal functioning. The 'brain,' in the android's head, allows for higher-level processing. However, it should be noted both brain and core are incapable of thought and emotion."

Caspian looked up to Lilly expectantly.

"I see..." she pondered. "I think you do a wonderful job of setting up the issue, and differentiating between Organd and human. However, I fail to see the main point of your paper. I believe it would be helpful if you transitioned into your main point from what you have now." She looked to him. "Do you have any ideas?"

Caspian pursed his lips. "Hmm... I guess, I'll talk about how people generally respect Frontline because of its medical advancements, but there's a lot of distrust toward Organds." He looked up from his screen. "People don't like things that look so human and... _aren't_."

"Why'd your mom have to go and assign a paper on the first day of class?" Rowan complained. "Always seemed like a nice lady, but that's just cruel."

Lilly's lips drew up in a muted smile of amusement. "It's only two to three pages, and is worth a very small portion of your grade," she reminded. "This is more a measure of your starting point than anything. Have you started?"

"It's due Monday, right?"

"Yes."

"Nope. I think I'll start Saturday. Maybe Sunday," Rowan responded. He tore into his sandwich.

"I think I'll distinguish between combat models and companion models too, because their internal coding and ability to fight is different enough to note," Caspian commented, leaning into his laptop. He struggled to type a few words with his left hand, his right still wrapped up in a sling. "Writing an essay is hard enough with two functional hands."

"What about third gen Organds?" Ichigo inquired.

"They're not out yet. I might mention them, but I don't think I know enough to say much about them..."

Rowan raised a finger, gulping down an ambitious bite of his lunch. "You hear that the third gen ones are gonna be able to eat? Isn't that weird?"

"They can't digest though, what happens to the food?" Ichigo questioned.

"Damn, good question," Rowan admitted. He flicked on his Holoband, typing up a search.

"We're eating," Lilly reminded. "Perhaps we should leave this question for later?"

"...So who's the new friend, Lilly?" Caspian asked, attempting to pass off his budding jealousy as innocent curiosity.

Lilly smiled gently. "Her name is Aspen. She's a second-year, we happened to run into each other when I was exploring the campus libraries."

_Good. A girl. _

Lilly looked down to her Holoband in surprise, and switched it on. "Oh, that's her right now!" she announced. She dabbed at her lips with a napkin, and shuffled across the half-circle booth until she was free of the table.

"I'll see you later!" Caspian bid with a grin.

Lilly waved, and was on her way.

"Y'know, one of these days it won't be a girl!" Rowan chided.

Caspian balled a napkin in his fist. "I know..."

"When are you gonna make your move? Sentinel's full of dudes. I'm just trying to help you along! You've got that 'childhood friend' thing going for you, but-"

"Can we please talk about _anything _else?"

* * *

Sentinel's dorms were a rough transition for Lazula. She had grown so used to her plush bed, giant bathtub in a bathroom with marble floor and golden faucets, and gourmet food whenever she liked. Now in the land of shared showers, standard-issue mattresses, and long lines in The Roots, at least getting up for her morning routine was easier.

Only a few days in, Lazula fell into her routine. Every morning, she would wake exactly at six. She would grab a healthy bite, and run the trail around Sentinel's campus. The loop was almost exactly two miles, so would take eleven or twelve minutes. Then to the Student Fitness Center right as it opened, when no one was around to gawk at her, or the weight she put on bar and machine alike. She would be back before nine to shower and take a second breakfast, making it just in time for her first class.

Classes had just concluded for the day, so the SFC was a bit more crowded than usual. Lazula walked up to the front desk, nodding to the attendant as she neared.

"Where can I find the Sparring Team?" she asked. "I heard there's a meeting here today."

"Oh, that would be..." the student at the front desk began. He keyed a search into the computer. "Room 202. Right up those stairs, first court on the left."

"Thanks." Raising her wrist up to the sensor, her Holoband pulsed once with vibration, and the hard-light door allowed her through. She went to the locker room first, donning her combat attire in its entirety before continuing onto room 202.

"As is the case every year, let's start by talking recruitment," a young man's voice declared from behind the door. Strong, but friendly. Lazula had heard the voice before. "Cole is already working on designing flyers, and I'd like to start handing them out in front of the library starting next week. I'll also ask the Headmaster if-"

The door shut loudly behind Lazula, drawing everyone's eyes to her. One hand rested on Impetus's hilt as Lazula locked eyes with the man, cocking her head back ever slightly.

"I challenge you to a duel."

He cracked a grin. The same impossibly white, straight-toothed smile that decorated Sentinel's promotional material, and advertisements for countless brands having nothing to do with huntsmen. His hair was styled just as neat as the pictures, a close shave on the sides and back of his head, with hair in front and top swept to the side in golden waves, one unruly lock drooping to his brow. She had never realized how thoroughly dark his eyes were.

"And here I was, wondering how long I should wait for you to settle in before challenging you," Midas welcomed. "I admire your initiative."

"I'm a twelve-time tournament champion at a new school with some of the strongest huntsmen in Vale," Lazula reminded. "It only makes sense I challenge the very strongest one here, and beat him."

Midas's smile continued. "Well, then. I accept your challenge."

Lazula drew Impetus from its sheath, positioning her feet and staring down her opponent.

"...After our warm-ups, of course!"

Lazula's shoulders sunk, and she sheathed her blade.

"Sure."

After a quick jog down to the water's edge and back, and a bit of dynamic stretching, Lazula and the rest of the Sparring Team returned to their room in the SFC. She had been sizing up Midas from the moment she agreed to warm up. She knew he fought with Resplendence, a halberd that unfolded into a bow, and channeled the electricity Midas produced with his semblance. He was well built but still looked nimble, and kept up with her on the run down to the water. He had a height advantage of over half a foot.

"By default, Sparring Team matches use a safety parameter of twenty percent. Is that alright?" Midas asked.

"Seems fair."

"Good." Midas pinched the screen he projected from his Holoband and flicked it upward. It hit a strange metallic structure suspended from the ceiling, and two screens flashed above the pair, displaying their names, pictures, and aura level.

Midas and Lazula took their places at opposing ends of the court. "It's too bad we're inside," Lazula said. "I'll have to hold back a bit if I don't want to break something."

Midas grinned. "I can hold back too! It's only fair."

Lazula shook her head. "That won't be necessary."

The excited buzz of the room quieted as a girl in robes of silvery blue stepped between them. "This is an impromptu sparring match between Team Captain Midas Baine, and challenger Lazula Skye," she announced. "The first combatant to decrease their enemy's aura level to twenty percent, or the combatant with highest aura level after five minutes, will be declared winner." She turned to Midas, then Lazula. "The match will begin after a ten second countdown."

As the clock began to count down, Lazula unsheathed Impetus, hearing the familiar, comforting sound of steel leaving its sheath. She pointed it at the ready, lowering her head.

As soon as she heard the tone, Lazula tore toward Midas. He stood his ground, halberd at the ready. Lazula smirked. "_People should know by now that some attacks are just too strong to parry_," she thought. She swung her blade across her body, but slashed through air.

Midas had spun around the side of her attack, and she felt a heavy strike down her back. Before she could turn, Midas spun his weapon and jabbed her spine, flinging her forward as she yelped with surprise and pain.

_No one had hit her like that in a while_, she recalled. Her first tournament? Or was it the second, down in Vacuo? It didn't matter now.

"No way! Look at her aura!" a voice called from the crowd.

"Ninety-five percent?! After a hit like _that?_"

She ducked under a slash parallel to the floor, pivoting into Midas and springing up with a vicious bash by Aegis. She slashed twice as he was knocked off balance, but her third swing was met by the shaft of his weapon. Cracking a grin, Midas channeled electricity down the length of his arm and into his weapon.

Lazula ripped Impetus away just as electricity began to course its way into Resplendence. She flung his weapon away and met him with an elbow to the chestplate before spinning and knocking him back with her shield. Midas slid backward, and used the distance between them to transform his weapon into a bow. He drew as Lazula ran forward, but at the last minute lowered his shot and let fly a bolt of lightning into Lazula's boots.

Electricity crackled across the ground as Lazula leapt over the attack, and crashed down on Midas with her blade. As his weapon rose to meet hers she channeled her semblance, taking his resistance into her own swing and amplifying it. Resplendence gave way, and Lazula slashed across his chest.

Midas's recovery was impressive. By the time Lazula swung back at him, he regained focus and parried her strike. A second and a third attack were met as well. Lazula took a split second to drop back and regain her focus before lunging at the golden-haired huntsman once more. "_He's faster than me," _Lazula realized. No matter how quickly she attacked, Midas's spinning of body and weapon alike caught her blade and tossed it back.

Finally, Impetus swung into Resplendence's axehead. Midas grinned, twisting his weapon until her blade was locked in his. Electricity crackled around him once more as Lazula attempted to rip her weapon free to no avail. She felt heat on her hands, then a seizing of her muscles, as if some searing entity inside of her arm controlled it from within. She let go of Impetus, and the Sparring Team scattered as the blade was flung their way. Midas turned and brought the head of Resplendence down on his unarmed foe.

Lazula blocked the attack with Aegis. Channeling as much of her semblance as she deemed safe, she wrenched her arm outward. Midas's armor crushed with the weight of her blow. He was flung back, providing Lazula an opening to retrieve Impetus.

She eyed the screen above her as she picked up her blade. She had been hit a few more times since, but her aura was still above ninety percent. Midas's hovered just over forty. The huntsman panted at the far side of the room, shoulders hunched. Letting out one last breath, he straightened and transformed Resplendence back into a bow.

Lazula raised Aegis to block a lightning bolt, then a second. She ran forward, keeping an eye out for more as she approached. She and Midas were locked in combat for several more seconds, before Midas ducked under one of her swings, and spun on the floor in an attempt to sweep her feet from under her.

Lazula buried Impetus's tip, vaulting over Midas's attack. She took its force into her blade and channeled it into her legs, blasting Midas with a potent kick to the gut. He rolled into the nearest wall, losing Resplendence. Lazula jumped after him, finishing their fight with a final strike.

The Sparring Team broke into hoots and cheers of excitement. With one foot on the ground, Lazula stepped on Midas's chestplate, bringing Impetus's tip dangerously close to his throat.

Her triumphant glare softened. She sheathed her weapon and extended a hand.

"I didn't hurt you, did I?" she asked as Midas took her hand. "That last hit was a bit much for how much aura you had left."

Midas met her worry with an easy smile as he walked over to grab Resplendence. "No need to worry about me, I'm durable!"

Lazula huffed in amusement. "You're not bad. That was fun." She looked to the crowd that began to fill the sparring court, then back to Midas. "How do I join the team?"

Midas shook his head with another smile.

"After a fight like that, you're in."

* * *

**A/N: Hey! If you've read my older series, you'll know I like to ask questions from time to time. I know it's a bit early in the series, but who is your favorite so far?**


	9. Biscuits, Tea, and the State of Humanity

Short chapter today! I couldn't find a good stopping place within the next couple of chapters and I haven't had much time to write, so I decided I'd have this one be separate.

* * *

"...So yeah! Back in the day, there was a species of Grimm that could drain your will to do just about anything, leaving your body to atrophy until it eventually just shut down entirely!" the always upbeat professor Brown concluded, her ponytail bouncing with her enthused words. "None of that will be on the test, but I just thought that was a cool little story!"

The bell rang, signalling the end of Intro to Grimm Studies. Caspian joined the others in closing his books, packing up his things, and zipping rain coat all the way to his neck. He planned to do the usual for a weekday, grab lunch with his friends in The Roots, get a bit of homework done alone, and spend the rest of the day back with Ichigo, Rowan, and Snow.

"Hey. Lilly," a voice grunted.

Caspian and Lilly both started with surprise. Towering over the two a row back was Noxis, stony gaze locked on the one he called.

"Yes?" Lilly prompted.

"Are you free? Let's grab some tea."

Caspian's heart felt as if it struck the inside of his ribcage. He kept his gaze down, jaw threatening to shatter his teeth with how hard it clenched.

"Ah, there actually is a place I've been meaning to try!" Lilly responded. "It's a bit North of campus but just a block or two away from a Link stop, so we should stay mostly out of the rain!"

"That works. I want to drop off my bag, so let's meet at the stop near Cedar," Noxis confirmed. Without another word, he turned and joined the crowd draining out of the lecture hall and into the storm. Lilly followed, then Rowan. Biting his lip and strapping up his backpack, Caspian joined with dragging feet.

The doors opened to Sentinel's Blue Square, often regarded as the center of campus. Students crossed the square in every direction, some coming out of the lecture hall behind the three, others going in. To their right was Slate Library. Its first floor was an open study space, with tables and chairs surrounding an abstract statue that spiralled up to the ceiling between the rings of mezzanines making up the second and third floors. Directly across the square was Skye Hall. A bit conceited of his dad, Caspian thought, naming the infirmary and main administrative tower after himself. But he earned the right to sit in his office, two hundred feet above the rest of campus. Between Skye Hall and the other main lecture hall to their left was a set of stairs lowering down toward the flowers and fountain of Halfmoon Plaza. No buildings had been built between those stairs and downtown Port Cyrreine a mile and a half across the bay, gifting the square a gorgeous view of the city, day and night.

"I was with Aspen until so late last night, I needed something to pick me up like this!" Lilly commented from under her umbrella.

"You sure are popular!" Rowan teased. He cocked his head with a mischievous smile. "Hey, if Noxis and Aspen fought over you, who would win?"

"Oh, stop," Lilly dismissed. "Aspen is a friend, and this is just going to be two partners getting to know each other."

"...It's not a date?" Caspian managed.

Lilly shook her head. "It's not. And if it was, I would politely decline. He doesn't seem much my type."

"_What _is _her type?_" Caspian wondered.

* * *

"I'd like the lavender chamomile, please," Lilly asked of the bunny-eared waitress. "I had been looking for cafés nearby since before coming to Sentinel, I'm so very excited to try this one!"

"Well, I hope we can live up to your expectations!" the waitress returned with a smile, entering a note into her Holoband. The stone fireplace ignited behind her as she turned to Noxis. "And what would you like?"

"Oolong."

"Ah. Good choice," the waitress affirmed. "Anything else?"

"I think that will be it for now, thank you," Lilly concluded. She brushed a white lock of curly frizz from her face, then folded her hands on the table. "So, did you ask me here for a reason?"

"Yeah. You seem like the only other one on our team who has any common sense," Noxis responded. "I want to pick your brain a little bit."

"Well, then. Pick away," Lilly invited.

"What do you think of this city?"

"This city?"

"Yes, Port Cyrreine."

Lilly bid a slight smile, looking to a painting mounted on the mahogany-panelled wall. "I grew up nearby, and have many good memories here, so I'm quite fond of it. The city really is quite beautiful."

Noxis looked dissatisfied with her answer.

"And you? What do you think?" Lilly inquired.

"This city makes me sick."

Several uneasy gazes flicked to him. He hadn't made any effort to keep his voice down, after all. As the waitress returned with their tea, the eyes turned away.

"It was little more than a handful of ports before Frontline built their headquarters here. This city is built on greed, and it's plain to see. Have you ever been in the Eastern Docks district?"

"No, I can't say I have."

"I'm not surprised," Noxis replied, slightest twinge of irritation in his voice. "Highest crime rate in all of Vale. Mean income? A third of what it is up here in the North, just a couple of miles away. You can't walk a block without seeing some addict passed out halfway in the street- or worse. It's worse than Mistral's slums these days. Worse than Mantle."

Lilly took a sip of her tea, and bowed her head. "It's... an unfortunate situation, yes."

Noxis's eyes narrowed. "An unfortunate situation? These are peoples' _lives _in this city,'' he growled. "All while Griswold Baine sits in his tower, watching over the place like he owns it, and building Organds to take more jobs from the people of Vale. He'd let the entire kingdom go to shit if it meant more money in his pocket."

"Of all companies, even just those based here, it seems odd you should take issue with Frontline," Lilly asserted.

Noxis raised a brow.

"They have done far more good than harm," Lilly stated. "Frontline's scientists have developed cures for _multiple_ diseases previously thought incurable. Much of the money they make goes to funding further research, and-"

"What they're doing is unnatural."

"Excuse me?"

"Organds make humanity weak," Noxis snarled. "Their use in security has rendered the few who still choose to be huntsmen useless, unless they go into that corporatized professional league." He took a deep breath, then returned to his point seemingly angrier than before. "The Creatures of Grimm are humanity's predator. People have grown complacent with the creation of those... _glorified computers_, and have forgotten how to defend themselves. Organds shouldn't exist."

"I see..." Lilly offered.

"Have you heard of natural selection?" Noxis continued.

"I'm familiar with the basic idea, yes."

"Then you'll know that in the natural world, those with some advantage over their peers will survive to pass their genes to the next generation more often?"

Lilly nodded. "That's how species evolve, yes."

"Well, in Frontline's care, we've created a world with no place for natural selection. All can survive and pass their genes on, no matter how slow, sickly, or unworthy. We've stunted our own evolution."

Lilly looked down to her tea, then side-eyed out the window, pursing her lips. She took a breath of pause. "The question as to what constitutes '_worthy_' of passing on genes aside, I fail to see how Frontline curing illness has ceased our evolution," she debated. She looked up. "On the day mankind first created weapons, and harnessed the power of dust to defend themselves against Grimm, did they become weaker? By your logic, it would seem so. But I daresay this allowed humans to survive longer and reproduce at a greater rate; biologically making them a more fit species."

"Weapons are different. They're simply a tool humans use in order to ensure their survival," Noxis explained.

"You've previously called Organds 'computers.' How is this not a tool?" Lilly inquired. She took a sip of her tea, waiting for a response that did not come. "Left only to their strength, without weapons or dust, not even the most physically gifted human can hope to compete with nature's top predators, nor the Creatures of Grimm. The human body is simply weaker. Human evolution is through the mind. With all its advancements, Frontline Biomedical is evidence we are evolving more rapidly than ever before."

"I..." Noxis began.

Lilly smiled politely, straightening up in her seat. "The tea here is quite good, wouldn't you agree? I'd like to return sometime."

Noxis bolted upright, the pounding of his boots on the hardwood floor drawing half the eyes in the café. Lilly held her cup to steady it against the shaking of the table. The wolf faunus plunged his hand into his pocket, and slapped a few one-lien notes on the table in front of her.

"This should cover mine. Goodbye."


	10. Capture the Flag

Teams CRLN and LSLI sat side by side, joining Sentinel's other first year teams in filling the stands of Sentinel's practice area. Caspian looked to the center of the horseshoe, remembering vividly his fight with the Bullfiend. The barrier had been fixed, and painstaking work had been done over the last few weeks to ensure no Grimm still lingered on the island, but Caspian couldn't shake the thought of the beast's crushing weight on his arm, its foul breath on his cheek.

"As you are all aware," Headmaster Skye began to speak, "Today marks the first of many mandatory training sessions you will participate in during your time at Sentinel. Please, allow the Headmistress and I to explain your task."

"The most simple way to explain this is as a game of capture the flag," the Headmistress chimed in. "Your team will be randomly assigned to face off against one other. Bring the enemy's flag back to your side, and you will be victorious. Though it is not the focus of this exercise, eliminating all members of the opposing team will result in a victory as well. Safety parameter will be set at twenty percent, as it will be in all future training exercises."

On the screen above the couple, a map of the practice island displayed, with five zones outlined in bright blue. "In the interest of time, we've prepared five courses, into which you will be randomly assigned. So you do not accidentally end up in another team's game, the boundaries will be explicitly marked," Headmaster Skye continued. The screen above zoomed into the first zone. Eight blank squares sandwiched the screen, four on top and four below.

"Combat assignment for the first set of teams begins now," the Headmistress stated. With her words, a set of faces appeared.

The faces of Teams CRLN and LSLI.

Caspian blinked, and looked to the screen again. Lazula's hazel glare stared back. He looked to his side, where the first traces of a smile showed on his sister's lips.

"_This can't be real._"

"Ohhhhh, shoot!" Rowan exclaimed. He clapped Caspian on the back. "You ready to fight your sister? I'm not!"

"Yeah, no," Caspian replied. The screen shifted to display the second zone within the city, and Caspian gestured to it. "Is there no way to trade? This team... BLCM looks a bit more promising."

* * *

Caspian's Holoband provided he and his team directions to their flag, at the top floor of the shell of a building. It looked to be modelled after some kind of office, though by design the interior was gutted and the walls threatened to crumble. Caspian stood in front of the strange-looking cylindrical object he and his team had to protect, analyzing a holographic map of the course.

He let out a deep breath, shaking his head slightly. "There's no way my sister doesn't play this aggressively," he analyzed. "I see two possibilities. Either she sends Snow, Laurel, and Ichigo to us and stays back as her team's last line of defense, or she leads a full assault on us. Either way, we need to play defensively. If we're able to thin out their numbers before fighting head-on, we'll have more of a chance."

Noxis's tail lashed. "So, you're trying to win this thing by assuming we can't beat them?" he questioned. "Pitiful."

"We can't beat them in a one-to-one fight," Caspian argued.

"Speak for yourself," Noxis spat. "As soon as the match starts, I'm leaving. Follow me."

"_Please,_ stay back with us," Caspian pleaded. "We'll thin out their numbers, and-"

"They'll come here and thin _us_ out, if you're so intent on losing to them," Noxis interrupted. "I'm not going to sit around here and wait for that."

"I-I'm sorry, but I think you might be underestimating Lazula," Caspian replied.

"It seems like anyone can be a team leader at this school. I'm not afraid of her." Noxis turned his head. "Anyone else coming with?"

Lilly sighed. "I'm going to stay. Dust may be useful in defending the flag."

"Yeah, I'm with Lilly and Cas on this one," Rowan added. "Cas's strategy is-"

"Of course you are," Noxis growled. "Guess I'll win it myself, then. It'll be easier alone anyway."

* * *

Team LSLI's flag sat on the roof of a mid-rise, near the edge of the abandoned city zone. After locating the flag, Lazula took a second to examine her surroundings. Directly in front of her, a swath of pine gave way to a craggy mountain face. To her other side was the rest of the city. She couldn't tell from where she stood which of the buildings held Team CRLN's flag, but finding it would be easy enough once the match started, especially with the area map uploaded to her Holoband.

"So... what's the plan?" Laurel asked, leaning against a vent. "Just send Lazula at them and win?"

Lazula let out a light chuckle as her team looked to her. "Actually, more or less, that's my idea," she said. "Noxis is a bit of an unknown, but I'm confident I can beat any of them."

"All at once?" Laurel questioned. "You win one-on-one, easy. But if you end up against their whole team, you sure you'll be fine?"

"I'll be fine," Lazula assured. "More enemies just means more force to deflect."

"Want me to ping their Holobands?" Ichigo asked. "There's probably some kind of jamming signal because _apparently_ hacking into animatronics during the entrance exam is frowned upon. But I can probably get past it if given enough time!"

Lazula shook her head. "No need. I'd rather have you patrolling the perimeter. And Laurel, you keep an eye out from up here. If you see any of them, contact Ichigo, and open fire."

"Got it," Laurel affirmed with a thumbs-up.

"Snow. You'll be our last line of defense," Lazula ordered. "Do _not _let the flag out of your sight. We're stronger than they are, but Cas is clever."

"Understood."

"Good. I'll let you know if anything happens to me, or I reach their flag," Lazula stated. She looked from Snow to the others. "Let's move. If all goes according to plan, this will be an easy win."

* * *

The instant the training exercise began, Noxis pushed through a wall of his team's protests and into the broken streets. They were quiet, no signs of Lazula or the rest of her team. The faunus skirted the side of a structure, eyes flicking to the empty streets and ruined towers in front of him.

The wall just feet in front of Noxis shattered into a plume of dust and shrapnel. He flinched, raising his arms against the cinderblock fragments raining down on him as he finally heard the accompanying gunshot. He bared his teeth and flattened on the ground. He looked first to the gash carved out of the wall next to him, then scanned the rooftops and windows.

There, on the roof a couple of blocks away, a woman lined up another shot.

Noxis rolled behind a parked car, and braced his ears against a cacophony of shredding steel and shattering glass. Luckily, the bullet had lodged somewhere under the hood of the unfortunate sedan. Noxis dashed out from hiding and took off across the street, finding refuge in an alleyway. He took a few seconds to catch his breath, and chanced a peek around the corner. The woman's figure had moved to the front of the roof, and her eye lined up with her weapon's scope.

Noxis wrenched back around the corner, and another gunshot echoed through the street. A bullet screamed through the air where his head had been, clipping the corner and piercing a dumpster at the other side of the alley before clattering to rest inside. Noxis let out a breath of agitation, and ran down the alley, hoping to avoid more gunfire.

A floating red barrier lined up along the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street, where the city began to give way to forest. Noxis clung to the buildings' shadows out of the sniper's view as he approached Team LSLI's flag.

"I'm there. I think he's coming now," a hushed voice commented from around the nearest corner.

Noxis pulled his shotgun, Renegade, from its mount on his hip. Quieting his footsteps, he strode around the corner to find Ichigo with Holoband raised to his mouth.

"Okay, gotta go. I'll call you ba-"

A shotgun blast rang through Laurel's Holoband.

Ichigo had taken the brunt of the blast into his chest, knocking him to the ground. The attack had chunked his aura, leaving him already dangerously close to the safety parameter. Noxis cocked his gun and lined up a second shot, but lowered it as a makeshift shield against a barrage of shots from Ichigo. Noxis grit his teeth against the ones that whipped past his gun, pricking him like dozens of needles.

"You're wasting my time," Noxis hissed as he pushed against the bullets of dust. He transformed his weapon into a bat and swung. Ichigo managed to push Noxis's first swing to the side, but his elbows buckled under the weight of the faunus's second; a two handed bash over his head.

Noxis pulled his weapon back once more, but paused. A red X projected from Ichigo's wrist, signalling his aura to be under the safety parameter. Without chancing a second for the sniper to find him, Noxis continued onto his destination.

Finally, he arrived at the sniper's building. LSLI's flag was on the top floor, according to his map. Footsteps on the creaky wooden floorboards above broke the silence in the dark, dusty room. They were fast, from one corner to the other in a handful of seconds. Noxis pulled Renegade back out from its sheath, holding it at the ready and looking to the stairwell.

Noxis cracked a grin, and began to chuckle. He cocked his head back and slung Renegade over his shoulder, looking to the tall, tattooed woman who held her axe at the ready. "Just a few weeks in, and I already get the chance to bash your skull in," Noxis reveled. "What a treat, _Miss Verdi._"

Laurel's eyes rolled up to meet Noxis's. "And who are you?"

"The son of one of your dad's old coworkers," Noxis growled. "Professor Corvis wrote a decent book. She could've done a better job at hiding the real Twilight Crusade's identities, though. Anyone with half a brain would realize your dad was the '_Phantom_.'"

Laurel took a step back, eyes narrowing as she held Snake Eyes a bit closer. "And what is it I'm about to be blamed for?"

Noxis shook his head as he stepped closer. "Never knew exactly what happened. Just that when your dad jumped ship from the White Fang, the only person besides himself my dad ever came to care for was killed."

"And?"

"And he hasn't been sober a day since," Noxis spat. "He would beat me half to death on a whim before I unlocked my aura. The 'Phantom' betrayed the White Fang, and all these years later his daughter is born a snake faunus. Fitting."

"What my father did _years_ ago doesn't make me to blame for your daddy issues," Laurel retorted. "Now were you going to '_bash my skull in?_' you'd better get on with it. Lazula's probably done with your teammates by now."

Noxis cocked Renegade. "With pleasure."

* * *

"Man, I kinda thought our first training exercise at Sentinel would be a little more exciting," Rowan complained. He looked out a shattered window. "Just a little arguing, and a lot of standing around."

"Perhaps Lazula decided to play this carefully as well," Lilly offered.

Caspian sighed, shaking his head. "...Did I make the right choice?" he asked no one in particular. "We really might have had a better chance if more of us went with him."

"Nah, he doesn't deserve that kind of credit," Rowan protested.

"There's no way of knowing what the 'right choice' was," Lilly reminded. Her smile caught Caspian off guard. "All we can do is our best."

Caspian returned Lilly's smile sheepishly before looking to the ground, and fidgeting in his coat pocket. His moment of reassurance was short-lived. A loud bang drew the attention of all three in the room, shaking the floor and rattling the fragile walls with its force.

It sounded as if a door had been kicked off its hinges on the ground floor. Then, silence.

"Want me to check it out?" Rowan whispered.

Caspian bit his lip, listening in for more sound. He finally shook his head. "It's best we stay in one place. It's open enough to fight in here, and the more people near the flag, the better."

"Got it," Rowan confirmed. He pulled Sanguine Storm from the sheath behind his hip, and pointed its tip to the stairwell. Caspian lined up Undertow, finger hugging its trigger. Lilly's hands folded on the grip of her weapon, Elysian Bloom, as she propped it up in front of her like a cane.

Caspian had grown up with his sister. He had seen her nearly every day of his life, and had countless memories with her. Yet, as she stood alone with sword unsheathed and shield at the ready, cape flowing in the draft from downstairs, he began to tremble.

Her very presence seemed far too much for one person.


	11. The Wolf's Bark and Bite

Noxis's first blast was blocked by the broad side of Laurel's axe, as was his second. Laurel sprung forward in the time it took Noxis to cock his gun and line up his third, forcing him to abandon the shot and instead raise his bat to block her swing. With a clash of steel, Noxis narrowly avoided a blade to his neck.

He swung back at Laurel as he regained his balance, but the attack and his next- a more powerful, two-handed strike- were both caught by the head of Laurel's axe and deflected. The two clashed several more times, the raw power behind Noxis's Renegade matching the weight of Laurel's Snake Eyes.

"Is that all?" Laurel goaded, blocking an overhead swing with the shaft of her weapon. She pushed upward to free her weapon, but her subsequent swing across Noxis's body was pushed back.

"You haven't seen the start of it," Noxis spat back. He swung again, narrowly missing both Snake Eyes and its wielder. He used a shotgun blast to propel himself forward, elbowing Laurel in the chest and landing a spinning strike across her head.

The viper faunus staggered back. One hand still held Snake Eyes, the other clutched her forehead. She grit her teeth and lifted her weapon with just enough power to hold off another attack. Noxis didn't let up, forcing Laurel to regain her composure. She spun her weapon above her head, eventually bringing her weapon down on Noxis. As he leapt back, she reversed her swing to chop upward, then spun it once more to whip the blunt shaft of her weapon across Noxis's cheek. Planting a foot, she managed to meet the faunus with a staggering blow which knocked him off his feet, and freed Renegade from his grip.

Laurel smirked as she transformed Snake Eyes back into a sniper rifle, and aimed at the heap on the floor. Noxis pushed himself upright. His feet were wider than his shoulders and he hunched over, holding head in his hands. Laurel squeezed the trigger, and a thunderous gunshot rocked the walls.

Laurel lowered her weapon with a bewildered look.

A burst of grey fog exploded from Noxis, obscuring the wolf and whipping through Laurel's hair. A red glow emanated from within, and as the fog began to dissipate its source was revealed. Noxis still stood, Laurel's dust-infused bullet sitting innocuous on the floor next to his boot.

A layer of what could only be described as black armor encased his forearms, and protruded from the tip of each finger like claws. The armor itself looked solid but a thick black smoke lifted from it, shrouding the sparks of deep crimson crackling around it. Similar armor encased his neck and trailed down his back, sticking up like a mane of black fur. It traced up the back of his head, twisting until it formed two black ears folded backward.

"You're an Awakened Faunus..." Laurel noted, holding her weapon as a barrier between the two.

Before she could pull her gun's trigger, Noxis was upon her. She blocked his first swipe with Snake Eyes as she lifted it into its holster on her back, and lost a lock of hair to a second. She pulled a pair of pistols from her hip, ducking under his blows and firing two shots from each.

A couple of the shots hit, but bounced off Noxis's black aura with little effect. His claws tore across her chest twice, and he grabbed her by the neck as she shouted with pain. He stepped into her, tripping her up and slamming her into the ground hard enough to crack it.

Laurel's chest heaved as aura crackled around her. The black armor surrounding Noxis began to fade, and without a word he continued up to the roof.

Snow stood guard at the top of the stairs. Her eyes moved from the floor below to the Holoscreen at her wrist, which displayed her teammates' auras. Lazula's was still full. Ichigo's had dropped below twenty percent a few minutes before, but Laurel's had dropped as well since Snow had last checked.

Footsteps from below. Snow turned off her Holoband and aimed her gun at the base of the stairs.

As soon as Noxis appeared, Snow held down the trigger. Bullets of focused dust shredded the railing, sending wooden splinters cascading down the steps. Snow paused after several seconds of the assault, listening for any sign of her opponent. A fragmented section of railing could no longer support its own weight, and fell away.

Snow took two steps down the stairs in pursuit, but paused. She looked back to the flag, blinked once, then turned back to guard it.

"Come on, not gonna chase me?" a voice taunted from below.

"I have been told to keep my eyes on the flag at all times," Snow replied. "And so I will."

"It's just me. The rest of my team was too chickenshit to follow."

"I cannot know for sure you are telling the truth."

Snow's eyes narrowed, and her weapon's sword configuration flashed from within the handle as boots pounded up the stairs towards her. She stepped forward into his attack, matching its power perfectly. The faunus fought to keep up with her, but was driven backward by each strike.

Snow pulled back, allowing for Noxis to do the same. The two lunged at each other, full power behind their blows. Snow's weapon flashed as it struck Renegade, and she transformed it into its whip configuration. As she ducked to the side of the hefty steel bat, spiked white links of hard light wrapped it, then flung back across its owner's chest and neck.

The white-haired huntress stomped as she swung with all of her might, launching Noxis dangerously close to the edge of the roof. Dust returned to her weapon, coalescing into the shape of an axe. Snow flipped through the air, slamming her blade down where the faunus lay in a daze not half a second before. She paid no mind to the new split in the roof, picking up her axe and spinning to swing it at her opponent once more.

Noxis lifted Renegade to block her swing, but as the weapons clashed, he inched closer to the roof's edge.

"You trying to kill me?" he growled.

"I'm trying to get you away from the flag," Snow explained flatly. "A fall from this height would not be lethal to a huntsman with unlocked aura, and would result in the greatest distance from the flag in the least amount of time."

* * *

Caspian, Lilly, and Rowan stared down their enemy. Lazula's eyes flicked between the three. Noxis must have gone alone, she figured. No matter. There was no way in her mind Noxis could fight all three of her teammates faster than she could beat the rest of Team CRLN.

The tip of Rowan's Sanguine Storm pulled back, and blood red energy began to course throughout the weapon. "You may be strong," he recognized. He let fly a blast of focused energy, which lit the dark room red. "But there's no way you can resist this!"

Lazula raised Aegis, bending her knees and propping her spare hand up against the back of her shield. The blast slammed into her, pushing her back as it split down the middle and shredded the floor to both sides. Lazula still stood, unsheathing Impetus.

Rowan's eyes widened, his jaw going slack. "...What?"

Lazula strode forward, shoulders square, with eyes locked on Caspian's. The floor seemed to quake with each of her steps. Whether he imagined it or not, he could not know.

He let out a nervous chuckle. "You know, y-you don't have to try so hard to intimidate me," he jested. His smile faded a bit as his twin continued toward him. "You... kinda do it naturally."

Lazula broke out into a run.

Caspian raised his blade to block his sister's strike. She twisted Impetus, flinging Undertow into the ground and smashing into Caspian with her shield. As their weapons collided, a sharp pain shot up from his elbow to shoulder. Apparently, his wound from the Bullfiend attack hadn't healed entirely.

Rowan came in from the side as Caspian rolled across the ground. She blocked his overhead swing with her shield, then channeled her semblance into Impetus as she thrust forward. Rowan was flung back as well, but during his distraction Caspian shot at a pipe on the ceiling. His shot connected and its target burst, drenching Lazula and spraying a puddle across the floor. His sister looked furious.

"Lilly!" Caspian called.

The faunus paused for a second, but apparently caught on. She opened Elysian Bloom and lifted it, raising dozens of icy spikes from the floor. As the spikes honed in on Lazula, more began to encase her in their frigid embrace, but she thrashed them from her body with sword and shield.

A spire of ice stabbed her from the back, eliciting a pained grimace. She whipped around, shattering it with her shield more out of irritation than necessity.

"If I have to claim a weakness, it's dust," Lazula commented. She stabbed the ice at her boot, freeing it. "I'm sorry, Lilly. But I'll have to take you out first."

Lilly smiled. "I can't say I've ever wanted to be on the business end of your blade," she admitted.

Caspian pushed himself to his feet. Now was his chance. If he could just step in between the two, block Lazula's attack to protect Lilly, and provide her enough time to attack again...

Yes. Perfect.

Caspian sprinted forward. As Lilly opened Elysian Bloom's cover to protect herself, Caspian took the brunt of the impact into his armguard. Despite his armor, the crushing weight of his sister's swing was excruciating. He bent over, holding his arm and giving up on a follow-up strike. Lazula pushed him aside, swinging on Lilly.

Lilly struggled to keep up with Lazula's power and speed. Each swipe of her rapier was forced back, and her parries suffered under Lazula's blade until Rowan intervened. His semblance-enhanced blow was bounced back by Lazula's own semblance and shield. She struck once as he fell back, knocking him away and turning to Caspian. They clashed steel several times before Caspian was kicked to his back, and Lazula honed in on Lilly once more.

The faunus yelped with pain as Impetus clipped her arm at the end of a failed block, and was smashed once more by Aegis. Lazula's eyes narrowed as she prepared another strike, and she raised Aegis behind her head. The ring of violently clashing steel assaulted her ears, and she stepped toward Lilly with the force of Rowan's blocked attack behind her swing.

"Lilly!" Caspian shouted, wincing as he watched her tumble across the ground and slam into the wall. With a breath to compose himself, he charged in again. Lazula traded with he and Rowan for several seconds, her sword and shield more than enough for the pair of opposing blades. Caspian stuck forward, but his blade was twisted until it locked with her crossguard. Lazula held Rowan's attack at the top of her shield, managing to wedge his blade between the spikes adorning it.

She whipped her head around, eyes breaking their steely focus. Caspian realized he had hardly ever seen the look before.

Genuine concern.

"Lilly!" she called. "Are you okay? I didn't mean to hit so hard!"

The faunus staggered to her feet, feathered hair falling out of its ponytail. "I'm fine," she managed, mustering up a weak smile. "My aura held, but just barely."

Lazula nodded. With a vicious spin, she flung Caspian and Rowan to the ground. Eyes flicking between the two of them, she opted to eliminate the redhead next. She jumped, bearing down on him with Impetus as she blocked the dust bullets raining in from the side.

Rowan managed to block her stab with the flat of his blade, and pushed out as Caspian slashed from behind. Whatever she did next was too fast for Caspian's eyes. He saw her ducking under his attack; to be expected of the "Indomitable Girl." Somehow, he was lifted off his feet and launched over Rowan before landing painfully on shoulder and head.

When he came to, a red X displayed from Rowan's Holoband, and Impetus was raised to the final position of a strike.

Caspian staggered to his feet, gasping for breath and mulling over the battle. Lazula had been hit by Lilly's ice, but aside from a single spare swipe from Undertow, she hadn't been touched since. His eyes flicked down to his aura. Just under half. Without a doubt, Lazula was still near full.

Knowing there was a near-zero chance of victory, Caspian dashed forward. His strike was parried easily, and met with a shield bash, then a spinning slash, which he narrowly deflected. He blocked two more before realizing just how little effort his sister put in. Caspian put his all behind each block, and each desperate swing. Lazula's face lacked its signature scowl, and her attacks, though retaining their speed and peerless form, carried little urgency.

"Have you been practicing?" Lazula questioned. She knocked Caspian's attack to the side and met him with a shoulder to the chest. "Your form is getting sloppy again."

His heart began to pound, and his grip on Undertow slipped with sweat. "I-I haven't been able to practice _much_, no..."

"Hm."

Undertow clashed against the middle of Aegis. Lazula lowered herself and twisted, swinging Impetus with the force of a Deathstalker's claw.

Caspian couldn't free his weapon in time, and joined Rowan on the floor.

Lazula looked him over. No concern. No pity, at least. She sheathed Impetus, and grabbed the flag.

* * *

"Still can't believe you three let her win," Noxis growled as soon as Team CRLN opened the door to their living space in Cedar. "It was three on one, and you managed to blow it."

"We held her off pretty damn long, considering who she is," Rowan protested. "If you had stayed, we might have had a chance."

"Had one of you come with me, we would have rolled over her team," Noxis argued. "The only one I actually had to try against was that one _creepy_ girl."

"Snow is NOT creepy!" Caspian objected.

"You knew who I was talking about."

Lilly sighed. "I understand you're upset-"

"You don't understand shit."

"...If any of us had come with you, the flag would not have been defended as strongly," she continued. "Lazula likely would have reached the flag in less time, and won."

Caspian nodded in agreement. "I think... we really just got unlucky. Any team that went against Lazula would have lost."

Noxis laughed. "Big talk for a team leader! Love the confidence!"

"W-We aren't strong enough to beat her..."

"_You _aren't strong enough."

Noxis's words struck Caspian harder than Lazula's blade. He balled his quivering hand into a fist, but all responses that formed in his viciously buzzing mind were washed away by one simple idea.

Noxis was right.

"And I want to prove it," Noxis continued. "Duel me. One on one, safety parameters at ten percent." He stepped closer to Caspian, pinning him in front of the wall and towering over him. He grinned. "Unless you're too nervous, of course."

Caspian's gaze was fixed on the ground. He could feel the malicious excitement radiating off Noxis's chest in waves. He was close. Way too close. Caspian felt queasy, short of breath, and trapped, wanting nothing more than to push Noxis off him and run.

Away from him.

Away from Sentinel.

"I... I'll do it," Caspian managed. He felt Noxis clasp his shoulder, and grimaced against his vice grip.

"Good. I look forward to it."

Apparently satisfied, Noxis turned, unlocked the door to his room, and entered. Letting out a deep breath, Caspian sat at the table in the common area between the four rooms. He looked at the view of campus, Sentinel Stadium, and Port Cyrreine further in the distance. He couldn't bear to look at the sparring courts lined up along the water, and curled up to hold his head in his hands.

"_What the hell have I gotten myself into?_"


	12. Inferiority Complex

"_Why are there so many people here?_"

The seats of the practice arena were almost full. It wasn't as big as Sentinel Stadium, sure. But the students packed into the handful of rows circling the arena were more than enough to put Caspian on edge. Why were there spectator stands in the _practice_ arena, anyway?

Most of his friends, Caspian knew, were watching. Lazula had probably made time after training to watch the show, just to point out every little mistake the next time she saw him. Lilly, luckily, was busy. Whatever she had gone to do with Aspen seemed important. Caspian didn't mind, as long as it meant she wasn't watching. Then of course, Noxis.

"This is an official duel between Team CRLN's leader, Caspian Skye, and challenger, Noxis Orion!" the officiator announced. A wave of applause rolled over the crowd, and subsided. "Safety parameters for this match have been set at ten percent. The first combatant to decrease their enemy's aura level to the safety parameter, or the combatant with highest aura level after five minutes, will be declared winner." He turned to Noxis, then to Caspian. "Are you ready?"

"Oh, yeah," Noxis confirmed.

"...Yeah," Caspian managed.

The announcer pinched his Holoscreen, and flipped it up to the metal workings suspended from the ceiling. Caspian and Noxis's pictures and aura levels displayed to all in the stadium. "The match will begin after a ten second countdown."

Caspian looked to the weapon in his hand, trying to tune out the premature hoots and cheers rising from the crowd. The metal workings of his gun twisted into place, until "Undertow" glowed just above the trigger. He held it at his side. If he held down the trigger a bit, Undertow's loaded shot could shoot straight at quite some distance- easily to the other end of the court.

At the tone, Caspian ran.

He fired a handful of shots before making it to the edge of the arena, and began to run in a wide arc around his opponent, firing off more. Noxis initially pursued, but stopped after a couple of shots made contact. He squared his shoulders, swinging at each shot as they flashed toward him.

"So, you even fight like a coward?" Noxis taunted, face taking on a potent mixture of anger and excitement. "Get over here!"

Caspian pulled back his shot as his finger began to tug on Undertow's trigger. He started with fear, realizing Noxis was rapidly closing in on him. By the time Undertow had transformed back into a cutlass, Noxis was on him, bearing down with Renegade.

Wind whipped through Caspian's hair as the blunt edge of Noxis's weapon careened by. Caspian spun on the balls of his feet and lashed out, but his strike was stonewalled by Noxis, who pushed back and swung. Caspian's vision cut out for a split second as the bat smashed into his forehead. He yelped in pain and staggered back, before feeling a second strike to the gut. Agony radiated through his body, clutching at his chest with a searing hand every time he dared try breathing. Somehow, he still stood. Unable to see through his teary vision, Caspian swung Undertow feebly.

He felt Renegade's handle smash the back of his head, and his knees finally gave out.

Caspian could see Noxis's boots standing half a foot from his head. The tip of Renegade rested on the ground next to them. Slowly, Caspian's breath came back to him. He flicked his Holoband on next to his head. His aura still held at fourteen percent. "_Ten percent safety parameters, huh?_" He thought. "_Not a big fan_."

"Get up," Noxis demanded. "I'm not done with you."

Caspian's arms shook, and his muscles felt as though they threatened to tear. One foot caught hold, then the other. Still sputtering for breath, head bruised in two places and ravaged by a pungent, dull ache that travelled down to his stomach, he pushed himself upright.

Noxis waited for Caspian to right himself. Then, he swung.

Caspian lashed out with Undertow, but couldn't match Noxis's force. With blade and chestplate, Caspian barely managed to block the blow. He freed his weapon and slashed twice, finally landing a hit. In his moment of victory, Noxis swung again and Caspian was dropped to the floor by another bash to the head.

All the lights in the arena flashed on. Gods, they were bright. The crowd began to cheer.

"Caspian Skye's aura has dropped below the safety parameter," the officiator announced. "Challenger Noxis Orion is victorious!"

"_Of course he is_," Caspian thought. "_I was lucky to get one hit in." _Noxis still stood over him. "_Is he helping me up? Maybe he's satisfied..." _He raised his chin, glancing up to the wolf.

Renegade was raised to the side. Before Caspian could realize what was happening, a backhanded swing slammed into his cheek. Caspian shouted in pain as the bat crashed into his face with a crack. Waves of blue sparked around his body as he curled up. The audience gasped, then was quiet out of shock.

"**NOXIS ORION.**"

His sister's voice.

Caspian looked up, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the light. There was no need. All had been turned to Lazula, who strode down the rows of spectator seats with cape billowing behind her. The golden accents of her armor took on a shimmering splendor, threatening to blind the gawking onlookers to each side.

Noxis turned, grin of ecstasy tracing across his lips as a half-crazed look flashed in his eyes. "Well look who's come down from her fucking pedestal!" he shouted in glee. He held one arm in front of his chest and one behind him, addressing Lazula with an exaggerated bow. "To what do I owe this honor?!"

"You have every right to challenge my brother, and every right to defeat him," Lazula asserted. "But to strike after you've already won isn't something I can so easily forgive."

"Come on! I'll take you right now!" Noxis welcomed. He planted a boot on the kneeling Caspian's back. "Your baby brother made a damn good warm up!"

"You speak when I tell you to," Lazula snapped. "Same time tomorrow, Sentinel Stadium." She raised her gaze, sweeping her arm across the stands. "All of you are invited! Bring your friends and family!" her glare once again fixed on Noxis. "You may be strong, but it's time someone showed you just how far it is to the top."

The stands broke out into deafening cheer. How this many people could make that much noise, Caspian had no idea.

Noxis's boot pushed Caspian back to the concrete, and he slung Renegade over his shoulder. "I'll be waiting."

* * *

Word of a "grudge match" between the celebrity Lazula Skye and another first year spread quickly, throughout campus and into the city of Port Cyrreine. Just about every student from Sentinel filled the stands, by Caspian's estimate. The student section was full, as were the first several rows lining the arena. The stadium was nowhere near capacity, sure. But it was built to house the Vytal Tournament, and all the thousands who would inevitably flood campus once it came around again.

"Man, I'm ready to see Noxis get destroyed!" Rowan revelled.

"I know Lazula's strong, but Noxis is too," Ichigo reminded. "It might not be as one-sided as you would expect."

Laurel shrugged. "He beat me, too. That semblance of his is... kind of ridiculous."

"Awakened, right?" Rowan replied. "Didn't Lilly's mom have the same one?" he looked to the side. "Also, where is Lilly?"

"I thought one of you guys knew," Ichigo responded.

"She hasn't answered any of the times we've knocked at her door, I'm not even sure if she's there," Caspian commented.

"I tried to message her earlier, haven't heard anything back," Laurel added. "And it's odd for her to miss one of Lazula's matches. I hope she's alright..."

Caspian opened his Holoscreen, checking Lilly's aura for what must have been the twentieth time. "Her aura's still full, so nothing too bad could have happened to her..."

The lights dimmed. A brunette woman in expensive-looking clothing stepped between the two. She ran through the usual pre-duel monologue in a flat, almost bored voice contrary to the crowd's excited chatter. Finally, she turned to both combatants. "When both parties are ready, the match will begin after a ten-second countdown."

Lazula nodded, and began to pull Impetus from its sheath. She looked down to it, then to Noxis, who held bat over his shoulder and cocked his head back in an attempt to intimidate her.

"_I don't think I'll need this,_" Lazula assessed, sliding Impetus back into its sheath.

The tone blared, and Noxis charged toward her. Lazula strode forward with Aegis at her side. Gods, it would feel good to wipe that damned smile off his face.

Lazula raised Aegis into Noxis's ferocious swing, stepping forward and activating the full extent of her semblance at the moment of impact. A vigorous surge of raw energy coursed through Lazula's body and released through her arm. Renegade was flung back into its owner, the power behind Noxis's swing getting blocked, added to Aegis, and multiplied countless times over.

The air around the collision was deceptively still for a second, before bursting forth with wanton fury. The audience screamed in a mixture of cheer and terror as the winds crashed into the hard-light barrier, lighting it up from floor to ceiling and shaking the entire stadium with their roaring force. Noxis was flung back, flying for what must have been twenty feet before smashing into the ground the first time. He bounced and continued to roll back as he attempted to gain footing against the gust, to no avail.

"What was _that_?" Rowan shouted, grasping his seat and leaning forward with eyes wide open in awe.

"Lazula holds back most of the time," Caspian noted. "_This _is the full extent of her semblance."

When the winds finally began to settle, Noxis was on all fours. Lazula smirked with satisfaction, seeing the grin on his face replaced with a wide eyed stare as his hair broke from its tie. She continued forward at a brisk walk, still keeping Impetus in its sheath.

Noxis grasped Renegade's handle, which he had miraculously managed to keep. He lunged forward, swinging at Lazula's ankle. She took the attack into her boot with gritted teeth, transferring its force into her other leg and whipping him across the jaw with a brutal kick that sent him rolling once more.

He put a hand behind his head, and adjusted his neck. He began to get up, eyeing his opponent.

"_What the hell is_ _**that**_ _grin for, now?_" Lazula questioned.

She shielded her eyes against a violent burst of fog that expanded from Noxis like a cold explosion to obscure the area. "_This must be what Laurel warned me about_," Lazula recalled. She was surprised the faunus still had enough aura to spare after the two hits, but gazed into the mist. There, in the center. Two red eyes near the ground. Lazula trudged forward. The crimson glow flashed, and sprung at her.

Lazula punched through the murk to slam Aegis down on Noxis's head. The shield rang with triumphant vibrato. He fell limp across the floor, all traces of his semblance fading away with the mist.

Lazula stepped over him on her way to the exit. She paused, looking down at Noxis. He was on his stomach, just beginning to stir. He held a hand to his head, pinching his eyes shut.

"Don't ever try a little stunt like that again," Lazula growled. "I _will_ find out."

* * *

"So, you were in the infirmary for quite a while!" Rowan teased. "You got a concussion, or what?"

"Piss off," Noxis retorted. The door to Team CRLN's common area closed behind him and he continued to his room. He paused after opening his door, pointing to Caspian. "I'm surprised _he_ managed to stay conscious yesterday."

"Lazula didn't even unsheath her sword, dude!" Rowan goaded.

Caspian snorted, the sip of water he had just taken to avoid responding to Noxis threatening to slip out.

Noxis cocked his head, and approached the table. He slapped both hands down next to Caspian, causing him to start. "I know _you_ aren't laughing. Right?"

Caspian was silent, rotating his glass back and forth between finger and thumb on the table in front of him.

Noxis huffed in amusement. "Lazula beat me pretty badly, true."

Caspian winced as he felt a hand on his shoulder. "But you? You could barely touch me, even without my semblance. Hell, even without my gun." He leaned in. "How about some simple logic? If I beat you with no more than a scratch, while pulling my punches if anything, and Lazula beat me using only her shield, what does that say about you?"

Caspian swallowed hard, though he found it difficult. He felt his hands beginning to tremble. Why. Why did they _always _tremble the _moment_ someone challenged him? Why could his heart be seen beating out of his chest?

It always happened, and he had always despised it.

Noxis pulled back, apparently satisfied.

"It's almost sad, the difference between you two!"


	13. Impostor Syndrome

Caspian's arms crossed on the balcony's railing. He leaned on it, an empty downcast glare avoiding the lights of the city in favor of the street and trees below. The city was beautiful, sure. But it served as a reminder of where he was. He had looked forward to Sentinel Academy since it had opened in his childhood. But now, it felt like nothing more than a prison.

The rain had begun several minutes before, and had only picked up since. It had soaked Caspian's clothes through, and gods, they were uncomfortable. He continued staring down through his glasses spotty with rain, deep in thought. A sound from behind finally shook him, and he turned to examine its source.

Lilly.

She looked up from the door latch and started, as if she didn't expect to see Caspian beyond it. He could have sworn she began to turn around before opening the door. What shook him- what he was certain he noticed, was her pale face splotchy with red and devoid of her usual greeting smile. Regardless of what was wrong, he was happy to finally see her safe. He only wished she hadn't found him now, dueling with unpleasant thoughts in the rain.

Lilly cleared her throat faintly as she closed the door behind her, and stepped to the railing with Caspian. He could tell her smile was forced. "Caspian, what are you doing out here?" she inquired. "It's pouring. Your clothes are drenched!"

"I'm fine, I was just... looking at the city, is all," Caspian claimed. He let out a nervous laugh. "And you wanted to come out here too, didn't you?"

Lilly lifted Elysian Bloom from her side. "I have this," she said. "And you don't have to hide anything from me, you know. Are you okay?"

"_I don't have to hide anything?_" Caspian reflected. "_I can think of one thing I should keep hidden from you, that's for sure_."

"Like I said, I'm fine." He sighed. "I'm just... trying to figure out a way to leave Sentinel, while leaving the rest of the team intact."

"Caspian..."

"...And running through all the things Lazula will say to me when she finds out."

Lilly looked up to him, and held Elysian Bloom over the two. The sound of raindrops pounding on its cover was oddly calming. Either it was the sound, or Lilly subtly letting off her soothing semblance. "Why, Caspian? We've only just started here. You've been looking forward to this for years," she replied.

"Noxis is right. I got into this school by mistake. There's no place for me here, especially not as a leader."

"Don't listen to him, please. _You_ are a big reason why there were no casualties during the attack on the entrance exam," Lilly reminded. She shook her head. "You aren't here by mistake. I assure you, you belong."

"I- All I ever do is... be polite, and stay out of everyone's way. I can't _lead!_"

The slightest beginnings of a sly smile traced across Lilly's lips. "Well then, how about we frame that as a strength?"

"What?"

"You're polite, which is a strength in itself. But you're always looking out for other people, and hold their best interests in mind, even above your own." Her smile widened. "If those aren't qualities of a leader, I don't know what are."

Caspian breathed out, watching a fog rise into the rain. "Whatever qualities of a leader are, Lazula sure has them. She's done nothing but win since coming here. She beat Midas within the first week, won every training exercise so far, sent Noxis to the infirmary and I..." he lowered his head toward his arms. "I have nothing to show for myself. We're twins. We were raised together, but still. I'm nothing compared to her."

"Caspian..." Lilly bit her lip, as if pondering what words would break through to him. "I know this is _much_ easier said than done, but... I think it would be best to learn not to compare yourself to her. Compare yourself only to yourself, and measure how much you grow. Sentinel would be a good place for that."

"_Right, don't compare myself to her_," Caspian reflected. He felt his teeth grind. The go-to response whenever he opened up about his complicated relationship with his sister. "_Don't compare yourself to her." _As in, "_don't even bother."_

"Anyway, forget about me," Caspian dismissed. He looked down to Lilly, whose face was still pale, makeup at her eyes dark and smudged. He managed to hold eye contact. "Is everything alright with you?"

Lilly stared at him, then finally blinked and cast her gaze past the railing. "Ah. So you noticed."

Caspian nodded gingerly. "You don't have to tell me everything."

"I..." Lilly let the lone word hang in the air for several seconds, then sighed. "Aspen and I just had a bit of a falling out. I don't think I'll be spending time with her anymore."

"Oh, I'm sorry..." Caspian responded. He wished he had more to offer.

"I'll be fine, in time. But as of now, I'd... rather not talk about it."

Caspian nodded. He realized he didn't have much experience losing a friend like that. It must have been hard, if this was how Lilly had been taking it, he thought.

Lilly offered a slight smile. "Caspian, you're shivering. You should go inside and change into something dry."

* * *

The weekend came. Lazula sat with Lilly in her room, across from her at the mahogany tea table she remembered helping lug up the stairs on move-in day. The light of a rare sunny October morning poured in through the sheer curtains. She had taken her hair out of its usual bun after early morning training, letting it fall behind her shoulders.

She sat back to admire Lilly's work. Each of her movements, from steeping the tea in the pot, to pouring it first for Lazula then herself, to swirling the dainty silver spoon in her cup, were all so poised, delicate, and deliberate. Lazula had been looking forward to this for some time. She never was much for conversation with most. She could hold one with her friends, and brother, whenever he didn't have an excuse to leave. But everytime she sat to speak with Lilly, they would get immersed in one topic, only to find themselves on something else entirely hours later, with no idea how so much time had passed.

Lilly raised her cup a bit to inhale its aroma, and a content smile came to her face. "Usually, black tea is a bit strong for me. But this one has a certain sweetness I quite like," she commented. She placed her cup back on its saucer. "Would you care for milk or sugar?"

"Oh, no thanks. I'll try it plain first, at least," Lazula replied. She raised the cup to her lips, but the steam rising off it told her it was too hot. Her mind went to the most obvious event since their last tea together, but she pondered whether she should bring up such unpleasantries. She made up her mind.

"...So, how have you been since what happened with Aspen?" she inquired.

Lilly pinched her teacup's handle. "I'm better now, after some time. I would still rather not go into much detail, if you don't mind."

"Not at all," Lazula responded.

"But, it's not all bad," Lilly added, her voice unexpectedly bright.

"Hm?"

"This way, I get to spend more time with you!"

Lazula couldn't suppress her smile. "Honestly, I was starting to get a little jealous."

Lilly raised cup to her lips and drank deeply, eyes abandoning Lazula in favor of the floral-patterned teapot between the two. She swallowed. "Mm, it's the perfect temperature right now."

Lazula followed her lead. The tea was brewed to peak strength, a strong bitter profile subsiding into smooth sweetness. She looked up. "Am I getting notes of honey, or am I wrong?"

"You're right. You're getting better at this!"

There was a pause after Lazula's slight laugh. She looked to the sky through the curtains, and she found her mind wandering to other events of the past week. "By the way, has Cas been training at all?"

Lilly pursed her lips. "A bit, yes." She looked to Lazula after another sip. "We're at a new school, and the Grimm have returned. It's quite a bit to adjust to in a short time, so maybe it's best we're patient with him."

"It's _because _the Grimm are back that he needs to train," Lazula insisted. "Besides, we've been here over a month now, almost two. We're lucky there haven't been any attacks since."

"Well, he seems to be doing well in his classes, at least," Lilly offered.

"Of course he is. But classes are only half of Sentinel's purpose," Lazula reminded. "I'm looking out for him. Right now, training as hard as you can is a matter of personal safety."

Lilly sighed, as she was well aware of how stubborn Lazula could be. "I'll speak with him. But missions are soon, that should be training enough for now, will it not?"

"It depends. Seems like nobody but the administration knows what first-year missions will be," Lazula replied. "I doubt they'll give us much hands-on experience as first-years."

"That's true..."

"Which means it's not enough training for Caspian."

Lilly nodded and sipped her tea. "Allow me to propose something. Missions begin in only a handful of days. I will wait for them to come first, as they may motivate him to train harder."

"Good enough," Lazula concluded. "I just hope by the time missions begin, it won't be too late."


	14. Into the Jungle

November had come. The blazing oranges and reds that had adorned the many trees throughout campus had fallen to the ground and settled into a layer of brown mush, as Autumn leaves did when the season began to fade into Winter. Days and nights became colder under steel grey skies, a humid chill on the seafaring winds.

On one such day, all of Sentinel Academy's first-year students filed into the school's main lecture hall. They ignored their soaked clothes and the smell of dozens of rain-drenched bodies packed into the room, eagerly awaiting the words of Headmaster and Headmistress. The raucous chatter of the crowd settled with them into the seats of the hall as the Headmaster walked to the stage, his cane tapping the hard wood with each step. Headmistress Skye followed.

"As most of you are aware, Sentinel Academy curriculum mandates one mission per school year, assigned directly by the administration," Headmaster Skye began. "And, as most of you are aware, you will be assigned, and will begin, your first mission today."

The Headmaster allowed an excited rumble to overtake the audience before continuing.

"Many of you are quite skilled already. As I look to you, I see great talent, and even greater potential. However, each team has something we find to be lacking."

The Headmistress cleared her throat. "You have been assigned missions and huntsmen based on what we in the administration believe your team needs in order to recognize its potential," she continued. Another rumble rose from the stands, this one of Holoband vibrations. "A description of your mission, as well as the huntsman or huntress you have been assigned, is now available. Please, take this time to check your Holobands."

"Daaaaamn, dude!" Rowan marvelled. He flashed his screen in front of Caspian's face, apparently to indicate the huntress Team CRLN had been assigned, an olive-skinned brunette with a mole under one eye, and a gaze Caspian felt could analyze him through the screen.

"Cascara de Sultana..." Caspian read. He began to mutter. "Practical-Applied Combat Training is what we need? I'd say more like basic team cohesion, but..."

"That's not the important part! Do you see her?" Rowan pushed.

"Yeah, I guess she's pretty cute. She's like... ten years older than us, though."

"So?"

"So, there's no way she's interested in us," Caspian asserted. He opened his own Holoband to look into the details of his mission. "She probably doesn't want to be stuck with four teenagers for half a week, so don't make this any harder for her than it has to be."

"Just you watch," Rowan insisted. "By the end of this, I'll have her Holoband number."

"Or a black eye."

Laurel laughed from Lazula's far side, holding her screen out. "Hey, that's a familiar face!"

On the scroll was Mrs. Kurayami, head of Sentinel Academy's security, professional huntress, and Ichigo's adoptive mother.

"We'll be doing a 'Deep Woods Survival and Exploration' mission?" Lazula read. It could be fun, she thought, but she would have rather done something combat focused.

"Is that like a free camping trip? I don't mind," Laurel replied.

"If it's with my mom, it'll probably be pretty hardcore..." Ichigo commented.

Headmaster Skye cleared his throat to quell the audience one last time. "Some of you will be working within the kingdom of Vale, while others will be assigned missions outside its borders. Though the Creatures of Grimm have returned, I am confident in your safety, and your skills, should you need them."

"The huntsmen and huntresses to which you have been assigned are outside, on Blue Square," the Headmistress added. "After finding them, you will be with them until Thursday. We have decided to provide Friday as a day off, giving you all time to rest and reflect on what you learned."

The Headmaster bowed a bit. "As of now, your missions have begun."

As the students cleared out of the hall and into the weather, Headmaster Skye turned to the Headmistress with a nostalgic smile. "Remember our first mission together?" he inquired.

"I always will," the Headmistress returned, her smile growing to match his. "Of course we had to deal with... '_you know who_,' but I prefer to remember watching the stars with you."

As soon as the doors opened to Blue Square, Caspian was buffeted by a wall of wind and rain. He bowed his head and braced himself, breaking through the mass of students and into the cold air. A buck faunus in a brown denim jacket holding a long wooden rifle stood by the entrance, leaning against one of the pillars supporting the hall. That was someone's huntsman, but not his. Caspian paused, looking for someone close enough to the portrait he was provided.

"I've found Mrs. Kurayami," Snow announced. She was turned to the right, facing Slate Library. "She's outside of the library."

Caspian looked. Beside Ichigo's mother must have been Cascara, with an expensive-looking brown jacket, sash, and belts decorating a sleek black bodysuit. Segments of the suit looked raised and rigid, a light fitting of armor. Caspian pointed her out to his team, and all eight teens approached the huntresses. Based on her picture, Caspian thought Cascara wore her hair in a sleek bob, heavily favoring her right side. Close up, he could see a thin ponytail tied low behind her back.

She put a hand on her hip and nodded once as they neared. "Team CRLN?"

"That's us!" Caspian confirmed.

"I'm Cascara de Sultana," she greeted. "I'm a huntress on Headmaster Skye's payroll. I also work under Mrs. Kurayami as a member of the security team." She had a no-nonsense manner of speaking, words cutting straight to the point with a tone as if speech itself bored her.

"Pleasure to meet you," Rowan cut in before Caspian could introduce himself. He ran a hand through his hair. "Rowan Brown. Huntsman in training, and I don't mean to brag, but I was the first to pass the entrance examination."

"Pleasure." Cascara turned to Caspian.

"Caspian Skye." He laughed nervously, mind reaching desperately for some follow-up. My dad is the one who pays you." His eyes went wide, and he raised a hand to cover his mouth. "I-I did _not_ mean it that way, I- didn't mean to seem- ...Sorry."

"I'm Noxis Orion," Noxis introduced. For once, Caspian was glad he had cut in.

"And I'm Lilliane Corvis-Braun," Lilly said with a slight bow of the head. "Nearly everyone just calls me Lilly, though."

"Pleased to meet you all," Cascara addressed. She turned back to Caspian. "You're team leader, correct?"

"Yeah, that's me."

"Let's exchange Holoband numbers. Should we get separated on the mission, it's good to have a point of contact."

Rowan's jaw hit the bricks at their feet.

Team LSLI had no need for introductions. Their parents had grown close during their time at school, then as the huntsman band Twilight Crusade. The team, apart from Snow, had practically been raised together with Caspian, Rowan, and Lilly, so that each parent was a trusted family friend to Lazula, one who felt as close as an aunt or uncle.

Lazula brushed Lilly's arm to get her attention. "It sounds like we're going to be completely isolated. I doubt we'll be able to communicate, so stay safe."

"Thank you, I'll try," Lilly returned. "We must catch up once we've both returned!"

"You stay safe too, lovely!" Rowan called to Laurel.

She remained focused on her Holoband.

"I don't know what I'd do if I couldn't see that face again!"

Laurel cast a side-eye to her heckler. "You'd find another poor girl to harass."

* * *

Lazula had seen nothing but trees below the airship for half an hour. She hadn't even been told where exactly her team was going. When her Holoband last had service, they were travelling due South. Judging by how long they had been in the air, they were over the massive tract of the continent claimed neither by Vale nor Vacuo. There were a few hardy villages dotting the land, and they lived in relative safety since the defeat of the Grimm decades before.

Still, Lazula couldn't imagine living in such isolation. Most couldn't, which must have been why the land stayed so remote.

Ichigo was on his laptop until service had cut out, after which he pulled an old-school handheld from his bag. Laurel was next to him, and had retracted Snake Eyes's blades and slid off its string covers, plucking the notes to one of her band's songs. No amplifier, but it would have to do. Snow did as she always did in an airship. She was silent, gazing out the window with a blank face that could have meant anything from intent, curious interest to utter boredom. From time to time, she would look to Laurel, watching her fingers dance across the strings and marbled green body of her guitar.

The snake faunus leaned back, shaking out her wrist after a particularly complex riff. "Song requests, anyone?"

"Actually, may I interrupt?" Mrs. Kurayami proposed.

Laurel shrugged, and set Snake Eyes to her side. "You're the huntress," she conceded.

Mrs. Kurayami thanked her with a nod. "You already know the general point of this mission, but I believe I should brief you further" she began. "We are landing in an area of Sanus relatively untouched by humans or faunus. There will be a village several miles away from our camp, but we will not have contact with them unless there is an emergency."

"Do they know we're there?" Laurel asked. "Even without Grimm, bandits are still an issue. If we come running out of the woods into their village, they might not take too kindly to it."

"It was difficult, but we have established contact with them, yes," the huntress confirmed. "We have enough food and water to last us one day."

"Wait, one?" Lazula questioned.

Mrs. Kurayami nodded. "One. This is precisely the point of this mission. Your team ranks among the top in combat skills, but all of you, apart from Snow, have had comfortable upbringings. A huntsman must be resourceful, and must grow used to difficult working conditions."

"In other words, not a free camping trip," Ichigo mumbled aside to Laurel.

"Upon landing, we will set up a tent," Mrs. Kurayami continued. "We should have enough food and water to last until tomorrow, after which we must hunt and gather it. Our airship will return for us on Thursday. It will not be easy, but I am placing my faith in all of you."

Lazula looked from Ichigo's mother back out the window. The endless pines blanketed the hills, white crags and spires jutting out from within at random. It all seemed a world away from the bright lights, swarms of airship traffic, and glass skyscrapers of Port Cyrreine. It was beautiful.

Yet, as the ship began to lower into the trees, a peculiar unease rose in Lazula's gut.


	15. Off the Grid

Lazula felt the crunching of snow underneath her boots. The air was hazy. It wasn't the morning fog she had grown used to around Sentinel; it was as if the air itself had substance, a milky film floating between her eyes and the row of thatched-roof huts all covered in snow.

She didn't recognize the others in the village. She couldn't. The faces of all who passed and bid their greetings were oily swirls of skin tone and color. A faint glow came from within their forms, a gentle aura accented by the murkiness of Lazula's vision. She waved back to what appeared to be a woman in a washed-out maroon gown.

Her hands weren't her own. She always made sure to take care of her skin, but her hands were calloused and cracked, dirty nails at the end of each broad finger. A carpet of hair and a handful of scars covered her brawny forearm, halfway covered by layers of emerald cloth.

It must have been a dream. Yet everything from the snow beneath her feet to the frigid breeze on her chapped lips felt too real.

A droning sound caught her -or his- attention. An airship flew low overhead. Black, but it was one of Mistral's old models, judging by its fin-like wings and wooden hull. The milky air around it swirled and distorted as the ship slowed and began to lower just beyond the largest hut of the village.

A crowd began to gather.

By the time Lazula woke, Mrs. Kurayami was awake as well, fanning the stream of white smoke rising from the lit kindling. She had apparently seen enough the night before. Team LSLI took over an hour to get their damp twigs and dead pine needles to ignite, and the flame died in even less time. They had gone to bed cold and frustrated, but Lazula was grateful they could at least wake up to warmth.

"Ah, Lazula," Mrs. Kurayami greeted. "You are awake early."

Lazula nodded. "Yeah. I usually wake up around this time anyway," She knelt near the beginnings of the fire, holding her hands in front of it. "It's cold out here, though. I'm not used to it."

"Well, that is why we are here," Mrs. Kurayami reminded. She placed a few twigs on the most vivid embers, adding a couple more as they began to catch.

"That attempt at a fire last night showed we're here for a reason," Lazula joked. "Thanks for lighting this one."

"Ah, of course," Mrs. Kurayami returned with the slightest trace of a smile. "Today will not be easy. I figured I should help some."

Lazula sighed. If even Mrs. Kurayami, who had lived the first eighteen years of her life in the frigid, Grimm-infested mountains of Northern Anima, admitted the day would be difficult, it would be.

"Can I go for a walk around camp?" Lazula asked. "I usually jog around Sentinel, and I can't really wake myself up if I don't get some form of exercise."

"Yes, but do not stray too far. It is easy to get lost in the woods," the huntress allowed. "You have my Holoband number, correct?"

"Yeah," Lazula confirmed. She rubbed her hands together to spread the heat of the fire, then took to the trees.

Ichigo was next to stir. "Ichigo! You are awake early as well," his mother greeted.

"Yeah. I was honestly having some trouble sleeping," he admitted, putting on his glasses and approaching the fire.

"Ah, is something the matter?"

"Well... kind of," he admitted. "We're so far out in the middle of nowhere, I'm a little bit nervous about Grimm." He looked down to the fire. "Everyone from Twilight Crusade tells stories of how fearlessly you fought them, but I- well, I'm terrified of them."

"Ah, Ichigo..." his mother comforted. The fire began to catch, so she left it to grow and sat at her son's side. "To tell you the truth, I am glad you fear them. At least to a degree."

Ichigo's uncertain look prompted her elaboration.

"When I was fearless, it was only because I had not realized the value of my own life," she began. "My tribe held duty, and fealty to our goddess, above all. The oaths I had sworn in Her name came before my life, and I could find no room for happiness. As soon as I found something to live for, I began to feel fear. To fear is natural. To fear is to value your own life."

Ichigo sighed, looking up to the dots of sky peeking through the pine canopy. "Thanks, but... even the animatronics scared me a bit. When the _real _thing attacked Sentinel, I hid."

His mother nodded. "You were not ready to fight the Grimm just yet, and I am glad you recognized that. Perhaps you still are not ready. But your many other talents aside, you can train and _become _ready."

"But what if they attack now? We're who-knows-how far away from Vale. Help wouldn't come for us!"

"Grey- Headmaster Skye, rather, is confident in our safety. He claims we are safer out here than we are in Port Cyrreine," Mrs. Kurayami assuaged. "Seeing as all attacks so far have been within the city, I am inclined to agree." She put a hand on Ichigo's shoulder. "But should they attack, you are in good company. I will protect you, and your teammates are all quite skilled."

Ichigo pursed his lips, and finally nodded. "Thanks, mum."

The walk in the woods around the campsite she and her team had set up the night before did little to quell Lazula's nerves. The pine forests were beautiful, and she had never breathed such crisp morning air. But still, something she couldn't identify disturbed her about the place. Some vague nagging feeling that something was amiss. By the time she had returned, Laurel had just woken up and sat at the edge of their canvas tent wrapped in whatever blankets she could find.

"Now all of you are here, I will explain what we are to do today," Mrs. Kurayami announced. She produced a small box from the bag at her side, and set it on the ground between her and the now-roaring fire. "This is all the food we have to eat. So first, we will collect food and water." She looked to her son, then to Laurel. "There is a stream nearby. I will take Ichigo and Laurel to it, and we will collect water, as well as any herbs or berries we can find."

"Sounds simple enough," Laurel responded.

Lazula placed a handful of pine branches on the damp forest floor before sitting. She grimaced, as they still weren't enough to stop the moisture from seeping through.

Mrs. Kurayami turned to her, then looked up to Snow. "I will instruct you two on how to shoot a bow. Then, you will hunt. Rabbits are quite difficult to shoot, but they will provide enough meat for us, without being wasteful."

"Understood," Snow affirmed.

"_We'll have to hunt?_" Lazula thought. "_I've never killed anything apart from spiders, and the ten or so mosquitoes last night._" She took a deep breath. "Got it."

* * *

The calls of birds and the snapping of twigs with each step were the only sounds in the suffocating pine. It was late morning, and while it was already overcast, the trees shrouded the forest below in the darkness of dusk. The two had seen a handful of rabbits, but as they tried to approach, their prey fled. Animals that see humans less tend to be more skittish, Mrs. Kurayami had warned. But still, they were fleeing before they were any more than a dot among the undergrowth and fallen trees.

Not that Lazula could blame them. She and Snow were completely alien to the area. And, well, they _were_ hunting the poor creatures. But maybe something about the forest itself stirred unease within every being inside of it. She turned to Snow.

"So, feels weird being so far from Sentinel, doesn't it?"

"It is different, yes. I've never been so far from the city."

"None of us have, except Ichigo's mom." Lazula lowered the bow to her side, forgetting the hunt. "Does anything about this make you nervous?" she tested.

Snow blinked, cocking her head and looking up to the branches. "Nervous..." she reflected. She shook her head. "No. This place interests me."

"It interests you?" Lazula prompted.

Snow nodded. "I've only heard about places outside the Kingdom. I never knew I would be able to see them for myself." She looked to a bird that fluttered onto a branch above the two. It was sky blue with white breast and a black band around its neck. "There aren't many animals in Port Cyrreine. I've never seen a bird like that before."

"Oh, I think that's a blue jay," Lazula responded. So, Snow didn't share in her unease. Yet she was happy the permanently melancholic girl seemed to be enjoying the trip.

"You've seen them before?" Snow asked.

"Only once or twice," Lazula responded. "I think they live out in the woods mostly, so I haven't seen many either."

Snow paused. She turned her head away from Lazula, prompting her to look at what had grabbed her partner's attention so suddenly.

A fat brown rabbit hopped out from a thicket about twenty feet away, gnawing on a bundle of leaves. Without a word, Lazula raised her bow. "_Feet about shoulder width apart. Shoulders square, in line with the target. Nock the arrow,_" Lazula rehearsed. Earlier, she managed to hit the trunk of a rotten tree from about the same distance. But that target was at least twice as wide, and couldn't run after her first handful of shots missed. She let out a deep breath. "_Aim, then pull the arrow back to your chin, and release your grip_."

The bowstring slapped against Lazula's wrist as she let fly, causing her to drop the bow and shout in surprised pain. The arrow flew wide left, scattering the leaves of a bramble behind her target. The rabbit fled.

"Damn it..." Lazula hissed, holding her wrist. She picked up the bow, offering it to Snow. "Here, why don't you try? With your semblance, I think you'd be a good shot."

"I don't want to kill a rabbit."

"Right. You don't eat meat, huh?" Lazula recalled. She sighed. She would have to do it after all.

"I don't like the idea of something being raised just to die."

Lazula nodded. "I know. At least this way it's more natural. We're just predators, hunting for our prey." She looked down to the weapon in her hand. "Still, I've always liked rabbits..."

Ten or fifteen minutes had passed before the two found more prey. Snow alerted Lazula, who once again rehearsed Mrs. Kurayami's instructions in her head. Bows -most ranged weapons, really- seemed so unwieldy and awkward.

She lined up the arrow, and let fly. It sprung forth with blinding speed, and struck its target savagely, casting up a cloud of debris from the forest floor. Lazula felt none of the satisfaction she thought would come after the long, difficult hunt.

"It's dead," Snow reported.

Lazula breathed out, and began to walk to her quarry. "Okay. Let's get it back to Mrs. Kurayami. Hopefully she'll skin it for-"

She froze upon seeing the lifeless creature. Blood leaked from both sides of the wound, saturating the dirt. She began to feel lightheaded, as a cobblestone road stretched out beneath her in her mind's eye. The trees vanished, and she was once again in the village of her dreams.

The rabbit had vanished too. Replacing it was the body of a man, his green robes soaked through with blood. Lazula fell back.

When she opened her eyes, she was once again in the forest, with Snow kneeling next to her.

"Are you alright?" the white-haired girl asked.

"Yeah, fine," Lazula claimed, pushing herself back to her feet and brushing pine needles from the back of her pants.

"Does blood nauseate you?" Snow continued.

"It hasn't before," Lazula responded, recalling the bloody noses and other minor scrapes of her childhood, before she had unlocked her aura. "Forget this happened. I'm fine."

Snow nodded, and looked down to the rabbit. "I can carry it back."

* * *

Night came. Snow and Lazula returned to camp with their lone rabbit, to meet the water canteens hauled in by Laurel, Ichigo, and Mrs. Kurayami, then boiled. The huntress thanked the rabbit for its life before adding a handful of herbs she had gathered and cooking it on the open flame. It provided a surprising amount of meat, but not enough to tide them over for the next day.

The rain held off through the evening. Lazula and her team huddled close to the fire, and each other, for warmth. Mrs. Kurayami sat a few feet back on an old stump, telling stories of her days with Twilight Crusade.

"Would you be willing to tell us more about... up North?" Lazula prodded. "The time you were all framed. My mom and dad don't talk about it much, other than calling it the worst nine days of their life."

"Ah, yes..." the huntress said, nodding slowly. She paused as if reciting to herself a memory she had long tried to forget, or deciding what parts should be left out. "Well, we planned a trip to the mountains North of Mistral, so I would be able to visit my tribe," she began. "When we arrived, we found a village destroyed. It looked to have been done just before our arrival. One of the many poor souls among that village was still alive, but just barely. Before passing onto the stars, he told us the Church of Awakening had done it."

"All a ploy to get stronger or whatever, right?" Laurel recalled.

"Yes. Their semblances all fed off the souls of those they killed. The son of the family, Vladimir Garnett, was most powerful. Their souls fed directly into him, and gave him immense strength."

"Parasites," Laurel spat.

"We left soon after, but were spotted by a Mistral military patrol. Before we were able to speak to our innocence, they opened fire on our airship," Mrs. Kurayami continued. "It was a miracle no one was injured severely in the crash. Yet it became the least of our worries. We were lost in the middle of Winter, being hunted by the military. And as you know, Professor Corvis-Braun is an awakened faunus. I do not know whether she can still use her semblance, but it feeds off its host's negative emotion, much like Grimm. We have never blamed her, but she lost control over her semblance, making our condition much worse."

"Speaking of Grimm, you probably had trouble with them too," Lazula added.

Mrs. Kurayami nodded. "A great deal of them came after us," she affirmed. "We are lucky we had so many skilled huntsmen among us."

She opened her mouth as if to continue speaking, but paused. A quizzical look flashed across her face as she looked down to her Holoband. She was being called. She stood up from the stump, leaving the campsite with an unnerving urgency as she raised Holoband to her chin. After a minute or two of hushed speech, she returned with her katana at her side.

"The nearby village has been attacked."


	16. Hands-On Experience

By the time Team LSLI had arrived at the collection of barns, fields, and small homes that made up the quaint village, it was nearly midnight. Lazula's eyelids felt heavy. Any normal night, she would have already been asleep for an hour and a half, after stretching out every muscle in her body, changing into her silk pajamas, and covering herself to her chin in plush bedding.

Yet, as Mrs. Kurayami had the habit of reminding her, that's why she was out here.

Mrs. Kurayami's fist pounded on the hunk of pine wood that made up the farmhouse door. Almost immediately a clatter came from within, and the flickering light at the window moved. The door was answered by a haggard-looking woman in a grey gown who appeared to be in her forties or fifties.

"Ah, it's the huntress! And her students!" she welcomed. She bowed a bit, fervently beckoning the five inside. "Thank goodness you're here! Come in, come in!"

"I heard there has been an attack," Mrs. Kurayami addressed, before the whole team could shuffle in through the door.

The woman stepped behind the four teens, shutting the door and clamping down its hefty lock. "Y-Yes. The pigs were making an almighty racket, s-so I had the Carter's boy go out to check the stables." She breathed a shaky breath. "Just a minute later I heard him scream unlike anything I'd heard before! My husband went out to check on the poor boy. All he's said since running back inside was that he saw blood all over. He's locked himself in the bedroom, and he won't come out for nothing!"

"So it is a singular attack? With one victim?" Mrs. Kurayami checked.

"Yeah, just one. I don't know what could have done it though, a-and my honey's not being much help."

Mrs. Kurayami nodded. She turned to Team LSLI. "I will go out to investigate. You stay in here."

"You're going alone?" Ichigo protested.

His mother nodded. "I will be fine. I do not wish for you to see the scene of the attack."

"I can go," Snow offered. "My semblance may be useful in examining the scene."

Mrs. Kurayami paused, as if considering the offer. She finally shook her head. "No. It is much safer inside." She looked to the home's owner. "Where did it happen?"

"Back this way," the woman showed, beginning to make her way through the cluttered old home to the back door. She cautiously spread the sheepskin drapes at the back window, peeking to both sides to ensure it was safe. She turned to the huntress and pointed out. "Down that dirt path along the fence. You see that light on the ground, next to the shack?"

Mrs. Kurayami squinted, and eventually nodded.

"That's my husband's lantern. He must've dropped it out of shock," the woman stated. "Around the far side of the stables is where the attack happened."

"I see. Do you mind if the students stay inside with you?"

The woman shook her head. "Not at all. And please, be safe out there."

"Attacks like this must have been common back in the day," Lazula reflected, watching Mrs. Kurayami tread the dimly lit path with hand on the hilt of her blade. "It's hard to imagine what that's like."

"I hope she's alright out there..." Ichigo said, pulling Hack n' Slash from his bag. He opened it, and his fingers danced across the keys. Though the glow of the screen in his glasses obscured his eyes, Lazula could tell his breath was one of frustration. "...Right. No connection."

"Hey, your mom's gonna be fine," Laurel assured. "I'm sure you've heard stories about her from back in the day. She's taken down some nasty Grimm."

Lazula wished she could go outside with Ichigo's mother, if only to assuage her son's worry. She had an easy enough time with Beowolves during the attack on Sentinel, and was confident she could deal with whatever may be lurking out in the woods.

She recalled hunting with Snow earlier that morning.

"_Right. If that much blood nearly made me faint, I'd better stay indoors_."

Lazula awaited Mrs. Kurayami's return for several minutes. The walk to the stables wasn't far by Lazula's estimate, but neither she nor any of her teammates heard anything out of the ordinary, so she figured she was examining the scene closely. Ichigo wasn't so certain. But just as Laurel walked to the back window to see if she could spot anything in the darkness, three knocks came from the back door.

The farm's owner rushed to the door to let Mrs. Kurayami in. She held a splintered rifle in one hand, bloodied cloth in the other.

As before, the home's owner lunged behind the huntress and secured its hefty lock. "So, did you see anything?"

Mrs. Kurayami lowered her head. "I am sorry, but it does not look good," she reported. She knelt down to place the weapon and cloth on the ground. "The rifle was split in half, but still fully loaded. I found a shirt at the scene of the attack as well. It is shredded, and soaked in blood."

The woman lowered her head and fell to a seat at the table next to her, wringing her hands together. "...He was such a good kid," she whimpered.

"I do not mean to alarm anyone, but the scene looked like the aftermath of a Grimm attack."

"Oh, no..." Ichigo commented.

"That does not mean it was done by Grimm," she clarified. "I noticed claw marks similar to those of a Beowolf. However, they may have also been left by a large predator such as a bear, or dire wolf."

"That would explain the pigs making such a fuss," the woman commented.

Mrs. Kurayami nodded. "They were rather quiet when I arrived. Whatever the beast may be, I do not believe it is nearby anymore." She turned to Team LSLI. "Come. We will track it, and ensure it does no further damage."

"...Would a predator really go out of its way to kill a person like that?" Lazula questioned once her team was outside and travelling down the dirt path toward the stables.

"It is rare, but not unheard of," Mrs. Kurayami confirmed. "In Vacuo, much of the wildlife is as dangerous as the Grimm once were. "We are quite a way from the mountains separating us from the Kingdom, but we are also far from civilization. I would not be surprised to find fearsome beasts here." She stopped near the corner of the stables, and was quiet for a handful of seconds. She turned to Team LSLI. "I noticed drops of blood along the ground, leading into the treeline. Unfortunately, this means we must walk near where the attack took place. Be warned, should you choose to look. It is... rather gruesome."

Lazula swallowed hard as her team pressed on, rounding the corner of the barn. She looked up. Remnant's fractured moon hung overhead, veiled partly by the fast-moving clouds.

"Oh, _shit..._" Laurel breathed.

"_If it's that bad, I'd better keep looking away,_" Lazula thought.

"Yes, this is where it happened," Mrs. Kurayami confirmed. "Judging by the volume of blood loss there was a struggle, but the victim died here." Lazula heard the footsteps of her team stop. "Ah. Found the trail again. Follow me."

Unease stirred within Lazula as the black, twisting branches above thickened. She was armed, as was her team. Yet they trekked through the forest prowled by whatever monster had slain the poor farm hand, the only light coming from the moon above. Every now and then, the underbrush would stir with life, or some animal would cry out into the darkness.

As long as Mrs. Kurayami didn't react, Lazula figured all was well.

The huntress paused after what must have been ten minutes, drawing out a deep breath. She looked to the ground behind her, then to the front.

"Everything alright?" Lazula asked.

"I seem to have lost the trail..." Mrs. Kurayami said.

"Hey, maybe I can help," Laurel offered.

"How so?"

Laurel grinned. "My semblance. To put it simply, I can see heat. If the beastie came through here recently, I should be able to see its path still."

She closed her eyes, letting her mouth open slightly before breathing in. When her golden, slit-pupil eyes opened, they glowed. Another smile drew across Laurel's lips.

"Yep. I think I see already." She pointed to a bramble thicket behind Mrs. Kurayami, and stepped toward it. "It went through those bushes. There are still traces of heat around a gap in the leaves here. The thing must've been pretty big, so we should be able to fit."

After passing through the brambles and following Laurel's lead for a few more minutes, the group arrived at a clearing. At the other end, a shard of jagged rock several stories tall broke from the dirt, surrounded by a pile of massive boulders. What appeared to be smaller stones littered the ground in front of a crevice, its opening shrouded in unyielding darkness.

Lazula heard a light gasp from her side. "Are those-" Ichigo pointed out.

"Bones," Mrs. Kurayami confirmed. She eyed the crevice as she drew unnervingly close, and knelt down to examine a particularly long, straight one. "This one appears to be human, a femur." She turned it in her hand. "Tooth marks."

"Found a skull," Laurel announced, prodding it with her foot. "Looks like a deer, or... some kinda horned thing."

Mrs. Kurayami nodded. "Grimm do not eat humans when they kill them. They also kill on sight, rather than bringing all their victims to the same spot. When they roamed Remnant before, Grimm seldom bothered killing wild animals, as well. We are very likely dealing with a large predator, rather than a Creature of Grimm."

"What do you think it is?" Ichigo asked. He had taken a position far from the cave's entrance, next to Lazula and Snow.

"I bet there are a lot of coug-" Laurel began.

Mrs. Kurayami suddenly raised a finger to her lips, locking eyes with the faunus. Everyone in the clearing froze. The huntress's hand slowly came to rest on the hilt of her blade, her head tilting toward the darkness.

The wind had stopped, and the wildlife fell silent. All was excruciatingly still.

An eerie tension filled the stagnant air of the clearing, and Lazula felt the unshakable sense of being watched. It was as if all five were in a standoff with some invisible enemy. Guns drawn, but refusing to make the first move. Mrs. Kurayami rose to her feet in a measured movement, never once taking her eyes off the cave. She began to backpedal with soundless steps. Laurel began to pull back as well.

"We are leaving."

"Leaving?" Laurel questioned.

"We will return in daylight. It can see in the darkness. We cannot."

A loathsome snarl broke the silence, deep as rolling thunder and impossibly loud. Lazula looked to her side with wide eyes, meeting Ichigo's. His look of horror, as well as the weapon in Snow's hand, told her they had heard the same horrifying sound.

They retreated into the trees.

The first day and a half of Team CRLN's mission was surprisingly mundane. They had arrived in Sunsett, a sleepy township on the edge of Forever Fall, early the previous afternoon. Caspian and Rowan played card games on the way over, then board games in the homestead provided for the team and their chaperone. Yet, as they lacked half their crew in Ichigo and Snow, it wasn't quite the same. Some sparring came the following morning, nothing that couldn't have been done at Sentinel.

The afternoon was spent hiking into the forest and familiarizing themselves with the area, as well as a quick history lesson about the town. Sunsett was much like many other rural settlements. At the time the Grimm disappeared, it was an unstable gathering of huts, families, and a handful of huntsmen, just marginally safer than the nearby forest. However, its inhabitants had experienced unfettered growth and prosperity in the absence of their predators, and the population had grown many times over since, trading their makeshift huts designed to be abandoned at a moment's notice for more permanent wood-and-brick homes.

Most importantly, Sunsett was a farming town that, out of hospitality, elected to provide some of their newly-harvested surplus to their guests in the form of a feast.

"Hey, pass the mashed potatoes!" Rowan demanded after swallowing a particularly large bite of his meal.

"Again?" Caspian questioned. "You've had like two plates of it, dude."

"So?" Rowan insisted, he held out a hand. "Come on, pass it over! The food at Sentinel isn't bad, but when you get a chance to pig out like this, you gotta take it!"

"Fine, just don't get sick..."

Noxis sat with his plate at the corner of the room, quietly digging into his reasonably-sized selection of turkey, potatoes, and roasted vegetables. At the end of the table, near the window that looked out upon the sea of red, Cascara watched with a muted look of amusement, sipping from a glass of indistinct brown liquid.

Upon leaving her seat for a slice of pie to accompany her tea, Lilly sat next to her. "Excuse me, I've been meaning to ask," she began. "I'm familiar with the Professional Huntsman League, but I don't recognize you. Do you compete?"

"Nope. I'm a professional, but I'm not about all the glitz and glamor of the PHL," Cascara explained. "I prefer to stay out of the spotlight."

"Ah, Noxis has a bit to say on that matter too," Lilly responded.

Cascara smirked. "Yeah, seems like the type." She turned to Lilly. The ice inside of her glas jingled as she swirled it on the table. "What's your opinion?"

"My... opinion?" Lilly asked in reply.

"Yeah. What do you think about the whole thing?"

"Oh, I..." Lilly trailed off, looking to an old photograph on the wall. "A very dear friend of mine has wanted to join for as long as I can remember, and I believe she has a strong chance at getting in." She looked down to her teacup. "Because of her, I've always been fond of it myself. Though I guess she doesn't seem much for the 'glitz and glamor' either..."

Cascara nodded, and Lilly saw another smirk on her lips.

"I am curious, though," Lilly continued. "Most huntsmen are recruited for other jobs through the PHL's registry. How did you come to work at Sentinel?"

"I was in the first graduating class, six or seven years ago now," Cascara explained. "After graduating, I went back to Vacuo. Thought I could find work helping out with managing the wildlife there. Less than a year had passed before I realized it didn't seem like home anymore, so I came back. Luckily, the security team was looking for help right around that time, and I began to work with Kita."

"Ah, I've vacationed to a Vacuan resort before, but I admit I haven't seen much of the rest of the kingdom," Lilly said. "Living in Vale my whole life, I can't imagine what life is like out there."

"Not for the faint of heart, that's for sure," Cascara affirmed. She looked from Lilly to Rowan, who somehow still had not slowed down on his meal. She pointed to him. "Also. Tell your friend to take it easy. Just in case."

Rowan let out an exaggerated yawn as he pulled his bedcovers up and settled in for the night. "Man, this feels more like a vacation than a mission," he gleefully reflected. "I wonder how LSLI's doing."

"Yeah, I wonder too," Caspian replied. He pulled out his Holoband. "They said they probably wouldn't have any service way out there."

"I'm sure they're having a good time too. Wilderness survival and whatever sounds pretty fun to me," Rowan dismissed. He rolled onto his back, placing both hands on his bloated stomach. "Oh, man. I'm about to pass out after all that food."

"How much did you end up eating, anyway?"

"Will you two shut up? I'm trying to sleep," Noxis's voice called from somewhere in the dark.

"Right, sorr-"

The entire room was bathed in red light. A siren began to wail from somewhere outside, and all four Holobands began to vibrate with a jarring intensity, a high-pitched alert breaking from within as they began to glow bright red.

"Hey, what's going on?!" Rowan yelped, sitting bolt upright. He clutched his stomach.

Caspian's trembling began again. The sweatiness, the difficulty breathing and swallowing. His team leaping from their beds and throwing on their combat attire played out in front of him like a series of still images in the strobing light of the alarm. His mind began to race, the siren and flashes of red dredging up memories of the attack on initiation.

"Sunsett is under attack by bandits!" Cascara's voice announced from Caspian's wrist. "Get dressed, and get armed!"


	17. Dawn and Dusk

**So, I think I should warn you. The end of the first section of this chapter has some fairly graphic descriptions of violence. It's not typical of this story, but if there is something I find probably would be better off in an M-Rated fic, I'll warn you guys.**

* * *

"Huh, good call on covering all our stuff with a tarp before we left," Laurel commented, holding a palm out from under the hut's awning. Lazula watched the rain bounce off her hand, some of it trailing down the black knife tattoo running the length of her forearm.

"The clouds were thick, and it was quite windy last night," Mrs. Kurayami explained. "I can never be completely sure, but I had a hunch a storm was coming."

"So, we're still doing this?" Lazula asked, securing the golden buckle of her sheath's crossbody belt.

Mrs. Kurayami nodded. "Yes. We are leaving soon, and we must take care of this threat before we do so." She turned to Snow, Laurel, and Ichigo. "Are you ready?"

The three confirmed, and they trekked into the rain.

Team LSLI had returned to the farmhouse in the earliest hours of the morning. Despite their exhaustion, sleep didn't come easily. She didn't admit it, but Lazula had been nervous since landing in the forest. Encountering whatever had made that horrific noise, and had left the stables a bloody mess, didn't help. And when she finally did drift off to sleep, she dreamt again of that snowy village.

That black airship, coming lower and lower.

"Well, we're back," Lazula announced. The clearing was no more welcoming during the day. In the light, she realized just how many bones littered the entrance to that cave. Countless were strewn about, with skulls of various shapes and sizes dotted among them. A fair few were unnervingly round.

A stale odor hung in the still air. The stench of old blood.

"We are. But keep your voices down. I can feel it nearby."

"Right. You're aura-sensitive, aren't you?" Lazula asked. "Can you tell where it is?"

Ichigo's mother bowed her head and closed her eyes. She looked back up. "No. I cannot determine its exact location." She knelt down and opened a tan satchel provided for her by the husband of the woman at the farmhouse, a feeble, greying man who had finally come out of hiding earlier that morning. "We have been given meat. We are going to attempt to lure the beast out of hiding."

She placed the slab of meat out in the open, a dozen or so feet in front of the cave entrance. Laurel climbed up a tree at the edge of the clearing, sitting on one branch and mounting her rifle on another. Ichigo waited behind the same tree, with his mother, Lazula, and Snow spread across the treeline and hiding in a similar fashion.

The five of them stood in silence for several minutes. Lazula could have sworn she heard noises coming from the woods beyond the pile of rocks- a twig snapping, a rustling of leaves. No one else seemed to hear. It must have been the anticipation, she figured. Either that, or the fact she stood closest to the boulders.

A few more minutes, and her patience had worn thin. She turned her head away, making eye contact with the huntress to get her attention. "Hey, do you think we shou-"

"_WATCH OUT!_"

Lazula's head snapped around and she raised Aegis out of instinct. The first thing she saw -with no idea where they came from- was jaws. Black flesh stretched wider than her head and shoulders, stained yellow teeth the length of her finger. The beast slammed into her with impossible force, clamping down on the top of her shield and flinging her into the ground.

She bounced painfully on the forest floor before rolling onto her back and raising Aegis to her head to block its jaws. Her shoulder had nearly twisted out of its socket, and she had the wind knocked out of her, but she'd be damned if a wolf was the one to hand the "Indomitable Girl" her first defeat.

It was a monster. Its shoulder came even with hers, though it stood on all fours. Its face was the width of a manhole cover, greying muzzle marred by deep, aged scars and spattered in dried blood. A primal fury shone in its silver eyes. Lazula could tell it saw her as prey. Prey foolish enough to challenge it in its own home.

An ear-splitting gunshot rang out from the trees, and the wolf pulled back. Laurel wrenched Snake Eyes's lever, aiming another shot. It too met its mark in the beast's slate grey fur, and Lazula finally felt the jaws unlock from the top of Aegis.

It was the size of a small Beowolf, Lazula assessed. But with a level of intelligence not typically seen in the black demons. Not to mention it actually had an aura to break before they had any hope of defeating it.

The dire wolf tore toward Laurel's tree. Now wearing her mask, Mrs. Kurayami dashed out from hiding and landed a massive strike down its side, causing the beast to pull back with a snarl, snapping its jaws where she stood a half second before. Snow joined in as well, supported by a spray of bullets from Ichigo's Hack n' Slash. Another couple of shots from Snake Eyes met their mark from afar.

Snow slashed twice, her eyes following the beast's head as it began to whip around. She flipped nimbly through the air under the wolf's teeth before transforming her weapon into configuration-C, and following through with an uppercut. Waves of brown spread across the monster's body as it recoiled from the blow.

Apparently realizing it was outmatched, the dreadful creature began to retreat. Crimson drips splattered across the bones at its feet as Mrs. Kurayami slashed across its neck. The beast whimpered and thrashed her aside, leaping onto a boulder in an attempt to flee.

Snow's axehead collapsed on itself in a series of geometric folds, until it was a barbed blade. She swiped its handle across her body and it extended into configuration-D, digging in her heels as the spikes lassoed the fleeing creature. She wrenched it back, managing to catch it as it leapt. With a whimper, it flung back toward the huntsmen.

Lazula stepped into the flying beast, both hands with a white-knuckle grip on Impetus's handle. She ripped it forward with all her might for what she knew would be one final swing. She felt the resistance of blade in flesh, much like the Grimm she had killed when they attacked Sentinel.

Unlike the Grimm, which faded to nothing mere seconds after death, the creature lay in a heap behind her. And unlike the Grimm, it left her blade and hands drenched in hot, red, blood.

Her blade's typical silver and gold splendor was crimson. Thick blood poured from the unfortunate creature, pooling around it and drenching its fur. Its metallic stench hit her stomach, and she felt dizzy.

Then, as before, snowy cobblestone began to stretch out from under her. The rain itself began to slow as the world spun around her. No- the rain had turned to snow. The blanket at her feet was red, and as it melted with the heat of the blood, the gaps between each tile began to fill with it. The trees and boulders of the forest were replaced by burned-out homes. Between them, smoldering, disfigured bodies littered the path, weapons dropped at their sides.

It looked like the aftermath of a war.

Lazula felt like she was going to be sick. Her stomach turned and she struggled to breathe. She looked behind herself, and saw she was alone. Whether the forest had chilled, or she felt the frigid air of the snowy scene, she couldn't tell. Yet her palms and forehead were drenched in sweat. Her vision began to blur, tunnelling in on her soaking blade.

"Lazula! Are you okay?!" one of her teammate's voices called. Whoever it was, they sounded far away.

She opened her mouth to reply but lurched forward, suppressing a violent gag.

Her vision finally cut out, and she felt nothing.

* * *

Caspian felt as if every shriek of the alarm and pulse of red light made his heart beat faster. He could hardly clasp on his chestplate and shinguards with his quivering hands, and his mind raced. The Red Claw had been quiet recently, could this be one of their attacks? But then, why would they attack the sleepy farming town Sunsett instead of Port Cyrreine, or Vale's capital? Bandits had been a problem in the past, and though the number of attacks had decreased in recent years, he would still hear about one every couple of months on the news.

Caspian sheathed Undertow, and prepared himself to fight whoever his enemy may be. He ran to the door, grasping its handle and twisting. It didn't budge. As Caspian pulled back in frustration, rubbing where his head had made impact with the thick wooden slab, a voice called out from his Holoband.

"Everyone!" Cascara's voice addressed. "This is a drill. These are paid actors, and as such, lethal force is not authorized. Do you understand?"

Caspian breathed a sigh of relief as the alarm ceased to blare. "Yeah, got it," he confirmed. His team did the same.

"Good. Your objective is to defend Sunsett's 'city hall,' the big building in the middle. Starting now, the bandits will begin to attack. Hold them off, and you win. Any questions?"

No one spoke up.

"Alright. Get going."

"Huh, they really got us good," Rowan commented with a nervous laugh.

"I thought I was about to pass out..." Caspian admitted. "I guess that's what '_practical-applied combat training_' means."

"Whatever the case, we still have to fight," Noxis reminded. "Let's go."

"Let's see," Caspian spoke up, assessing the village. He remembered seeing a fence around the outside, with one main entry and a couple of smaller side gates. "I think most of them will be coming from the front, so we should keep most of us there."

Noxis beckoned to the three-story lodge the team approached. "We're in the middle of the town. If we keep too close, we'll just end up surrounded."

Caspian bit his lip in consideration, and sighed. "You might be right. Why don't you and Rowan take the front? Intercept them as close to the gate as possible. Lilly and I will stay back and take out anyone who comes in from the sides."

Noxis, surprisingly, had no argument. He and Rowan ran around the front of the building, and out toward the village's main gate.

"I have another idea," Caspian offered. "Can you seal off the entrances with dust?"

"Yes. I'll try not to damage anything." Lilly nodded to the side door the two stood in front of. "Why don't I start with this one, then work around to the other side?"

"Good plan." Caspian fidgeted with Undertow's grip, and he heard the first blasts of gunfire. "...And, good luck."

Caspian and Lilly held the sides of the lodge for a minute or so, listening intently on the sounds of gunfire and clashing steel. Rowan and Noxis must have been doing well, Caspian figured, as he hadn't seen any of the 'bandits' approach just yet.

Just when he considered running out to help the two, or at least calling them to check in, Caspian spotted something on the edge of the village. A rugged-looking man tumbled over the top of the gate, just beyond a classic red barn. He smacked something metal on the lock and the barrier flung open, letting forth a wave of armed actors.

Breathing out and settling into his footing, Caspian raised Undertow in equal parts to wear down his enemies' aura, and gauge their' reaction time. He fired off a few shots, holding down the trigger just long enough to get a reliable bolt, but not long enough to inflict any serious injury. The bandit at the front blocked a few with his shield. The sword-wielder to his side attempted to block a shot, but still took it to his chest. The axe wielder at right let it tear past his arm.

"_By themselves, I think I can take these guys_," Caspian assessed. "_The only issue is that there are five of them..._"

They were coming fast, and he had no choice but to engage.

He caught the sword-wielder's strike with his blade, twisting it around and spinning to disengage and dodge the swing of a dull axe. He stepped forward again with armguard raised, blocking the sword and slashing twice at its owner. The axehead came toward him once again, and he barely had time to duck under and slash at the bandit's thigh.

The two of them withdrew, allowing for a hefty old ram faunus with a lance and his shield-bearing companion to come forward. Caspian struck downward on the shaft of the lance, driving it into the ground and allowing him an opening to jab at the bandit. He landed a solid strike, but felt the weight of the other bandit's shield slam into his back, knocking the wind out of him and causing him to trip over the ram's weapon.

Caspian landed face-first on the stone path, but managed to flip onto his back before blocking the swing of another bandit's axe with his armguard. With his spare hand he transformed Undertow and fired a few blasts into her stomach to free himself. He knocked her to the ground with a wild swipe as he stood, and continued his fight against the spear and shield.

A couple of minutes later, Caspian was panting, surrounded by a handful of defeated actors. Apart from a handful of bruises, he was fine. His aura held at a little over seventy percent. As he looked to his Holoband to check in with Lilly and the others, a different face projected; Cascara's.

"You and your team have done well," she commended. "But, you missed one. Regroup with your team at the main entrance to city hall. Defeat this one last bandit, and you win."

"Wait, how did one-" Caspian stammered. Before he could complete his sentence, Cascara had hung up.

With a sigh, he flicked the 'group call' button. Within a handful of seconds, Lilly, Rowan, and Noxis all answered.

"So, we held them all off back here," Caspian began. "Cascara just called me though. One bandit made it in."

"Aw man, all that work and we lose?" Rowan lamented.

"Not yet," Caspian assured. "She said if we beat him, we win."

"How did you manage to let one of them in?" Noxis questioned. "Rowan and I sure as hell didn't let any through."

"We sealed off the side entrances we were protecting, so I don't know," Caspian argued. "_...Which means they must have gone in the front. The door you were protecting,_" he added in his head.

"Come, now. We still have work to do, so let's go," Lilly collected. "I'll be heading toward the front door."

By the time Caspian worked his way around to the front, Lilly was already there; and Rowan and Noxis approached down Sunsett's main road. He took a moment to check in, and ensure everyone's weapons were loaded, and they were ready to fight this last opponent. Something told him that, though they had defeated the bandits with relative ease while outnumbered, this last foe would prove tougher.

Caspian opened the door.

A single woman stood inside, leaning against one of the log pillars holding up the high ceiling. Black bodysuit. Brown sash, boots, and scarf, with a rapier at her side. Caspian felt a bit dull, having not expected the last 'bandit' to be their professional huntress chaperone, Cascara de Sultana.


	18. Learning from the Best

"Ooohhhh," Rowan blurted. Apparently he hadn't realized either. "That makes a whole lotta sense."

Cascara kicked off from the pillar, facing the team and drawing her rapier. "We're inside someone else's city hall, so try to limit the damage you cause. And... this _should _go without saying, but don't kill me."

Noxis took off toward Cascara before any of his teammates could utter a word in reply. He let a wild swing loose at her neck, causing her to sidestep halfway and block the rest with her rapier. She winced as steel clashed together, and her wrist twisted with Noxis's strike. Her eyes narrowed as a second flew toward her, and a gleaming wire produced from her weapon's needle-like point. With a spin, Cascara wrapped it around Noxis's hand and the weapon it grasped, and he was wrenched toward the floor.

She took advantage of his momentary defeat by flicking her rapier downward. Its tip separated in two and rotated before locking in place, forming a bow. The string trailing from the rapier's point was now pulled back at a full draw, and aimed at Caspian. He raised his armguard to defend himself, but there was no need. Lilly jumped in from his side, opening Elysian bloom to block her shot.

"Thanks!" Caspian recognized.

With a smile and a nod to her partner, Lilly twirled Elysian Bloom's handle between her fingers, making its cover spin. A cloud began to form around it, and skewers of ice shot toward the huntress. Cascara transformed her weapon back into a rapier to swat at the oncoming spears, and Rowan charged her from the side.

She leapt back from his first swing, raising her rapier to meet his second as red waves of aura crackled down his arm and into his hand. The attack flung Cascara back and into the ground. After narrowly dodging an attack from Noxis and ducking under a blast from Undertow, she leapt back at Rowan, trading a few swipes and blocks before he used the momentum of one attack to spin, and launch at Cascara with waves of red once again travelling from chest to arm.

The huntress twirled under his strike, and finished with a jab to Rowan's gut. He flung back with a yelp of pain, losing Sanguine Storm. Without a moment of rest, Cascara continued on to Caspian and Lilly. Caspian blocked her first rapier thrust with his armguard, turning and slashing with Undertow. He managed to land a strike, providing Lilly an opening to jab at the huntress as well. Cascara managed to riposte, jabbing her foe in the shoulder.

Caspian couldn't help but watch the two for a handful of seconds. Lilly struck with such grace, the tip of her rapier dancing with Cascara's as the two countered each other with the form and footwork of trained fencers. Jarring Caspian from the sight, Cascara sprung forward. She whipped Lilly's weapon to the side, and followed up with a slash across her chest and a jab to the stomach.

In an attempt at revenge, Caspian joined in again. His two strikes were blocked, and he raised his armguard to defend against Cascara's response. It was blocked, but as he turned to follow up with an attack of his own, he felt a cord around his wrist. He was thrown off balance, and his weapon was ripped from his hand.

Cascara raised her bow and drew toward Noxis as he sprinted toward her, semblance encasing his arms and chest as a red glow flashed in his eyes. She lowered her aim from his chest to his boots and let fly. The arrow, glowing bowstring attached, whizzed over Caspian's head. He heard Noxis exclaim in surprise and fall to the floor. The wire had struck his boot, instantly wrapping his legs together and binding arms to his sides.

Caspian hobbled along in a half-run, half-crawl toward Undertow, but Cascara stopped him. He hardly had time to wrench his dagger from the sheath in his armguard before she lashed at him with her rapier. Caspian swatted it away with the dagger, but was entirely outmatched.

After a few seconds, he too was defeated.

Caspian gasped for breath as he labored to sit upright. "So does this mean... we lose?"

"I'm not worried about the particulars of winning or losing," Cascara said, casually leaning back on a nearby pillar and putting away her weapon. "You kids did well." She looked to Noxis, who still furiously struggled to free himself from the cord at his feet. "The fight is over."

Noxis sighed, head resting on the floor of uneven slate tiles. "Let me out."

Cascara's hand rested on the hilt of her rapier and she pressed a button, freeing Noxis from his restraints. He stood with the others.

"I've been analyzing your combat ability since yesterday, and it's time to go over what I've found," Cascara announced. She nodded to Noxis. "There's no shortage of strength behind your attacks, and I can tell you're used to your weapon."

Noxis smirked, side-eyeing the others. He was making sure they heard what he did, Caspian figured.

"But you have almost nothing going for you in the way of form. Your swings are vicious and unrestrained. They have huge amounts of wasted energy behind them. If you can find a way to channel that energy, I'm sure you'll be successful." She looked to Lilly, ignoring Noxis's scowl and bristling tail. "_You_ have the opposite issue. The form is there, and I admit you fight gracefully. This works well for dust attacks, but you're vulnerable when you're forced into using your rapier. It felt as though you were just '_going through the motions_,' with no real intent behind your strikes."

Lilly nodded once, taking the critique in stride.

Next was Rowan's turn. "Your semblance allows you to hit harder at the cost of taking more damage, correct?" Cascara assessed.

"Yeah- wait, how did you figure that out?"

"It's rare, but some people have passive semblances. They're always active and don't tax aura. They can't be turned on or off," Cascara began. "I have one of these semblances. Quickened learning. I can recognize patterns and other aspects of fighting style faster than most, which lets me figure out a way to beat whoever I'm fighting. It was also handy when I was still in school." Her gaze snapped back up to meet his. "More importantly. Your semblance compliments your choice of weapon and fighting style. However, the way you use it is elementary. Consider bringing your semblance under control, activating it in a small burst when you attack, and deactivating it before you can take a hit. Your fighting style is also predictable, and it doesn't change between opponents. Make sure to consider other peoples' movements before you attack."

Finally, she addressed Caspian.

"Your form is there, in theory. It feels like you're trying to emulate your sister's attack patterns, but there's doubt behind every swing. Instead of following through, you hesitate, and pull your attack before it's finished."

Caspian pursed his lips and nodded, trying his best not to mull over her critique too much. He fought his hardest, but nothing she had said so far was entirely positive.

"There's no issue in learning from someone else. But I suggest you focus your training on developing your own style." Cascara smirked. "Also, don't be afraid to fight dirty. Your fists and boots are weapons too." She let out a breath to signal the end of her analysis, and looked back to the team as a whole. "Try not to be disappointed by what I told you today. You're still in the first half of your first year. There's plenty of time to improve. For what it's worth, you all have potential."

* * *

"She's awake."

The first thing Lazula heard upon opening her eyes was Snow's voice. She rubbed her eyes to adjust them to the daylight that poured in the window and pushed herself upright. Mrs. Kurayami was next at her side, pulling up a chair with a look of concern.

"Oh gods, how long was I out?" Lazula muttered.

"About an hour," the huntress informed. "I carried you back here, and went to inform the victim's family."

"That couldn't have been easy."

Mrs. Kurayami shook her head. "It was always what I disliked most about being a huntress." She offered Lazula a canteen of water and a dainty bowl of fresh beans. "If you are hungry, eat. We will be returning to our campsite soon."

Lazula took the meal, and thanked the huntress.

"Hey, what's going on with your eyes?" Laurel asked, holding the farmhouse door open for the rest of her team. Finally, they were headed back to camp, and back home.

"Who, mine?" Lazula questioned.

"Yeah. They're more colorful today than usual."

"I had noticed that as well," Snow added. "I see flecks of color in them sometimes. Today, your eyes look like a rainbow."

"Maybe it's because I passed out?" Lazula guessed. She raised her Holoband, flicking its camera function and turning it around to face her. Laurel and Snow were right. The hazel of her eyes could barely be seen behind the flecks of countless hues, glimmering like the sun's reflection on the ocean's ripples.

"_What is happening to me?"_

"About that," Laurel responded. "You sure you're alright? You looked pretty shaken up. And, you know. You fainted."

"Don't remind me."

"If you are upset about what you did to the wolf, I assure you it was necessary," Mrs. Kurayami added. "I saw many human bones at the entrance to its home. The victim was not the first, and very likely would not have been the last."

"_Of course it was necessary_," Lazula thought. But, demeaning as it was, feeling sorry for the thing and being shaken by the sight of blood was easier to explain than hallucinating across almost every one of her senses; seeing the horrific sight, feeling the cold on her skin, smelling the stenches of smoke and blood. Hearing nothing.

Lazula sighed.

The airship to take her home would arrive soon enough.


	19. Ideal Self

"We now begin our weekly meeting of the Knights of the Round Table," Caspian announced, holding out his plastic glass. He looked to Rowan, Ichigo, and Snow, who sat around their usual table in The Roots. "We have only one order of business today, but it is of utmost importance. Today, we're naming Snow's weapon."

Rowan nodded to Snow. "You brought it, right?"

"According to dormitory rules, weapons are not allowed in The Roots."

Rowan lowered his burger with a disappointed look half a second before digging in. "How are we gonna name it now? We need to see it to come up with something good!"

"I took several pictures of it earlier today," Snow offered, undoing her Holoband and laying it flat on the table.

"It's not the same, but it'll have to do..." Rowan muttered.

"What is the purpose of giving my weapon a name?"

"Everyone names their weapons! It's part of being a huntsman!" Rowan explained.

"Yes, but what is the purpose?" Snow insisted.

Caspian looked up from his dinner, from the screen projected between the four to Snow. "I guess... well, really, there isn't one. Names are just arbitrary sounds that end up referring to an entire identity. There's no reason for me to be named Caspian other than the fact my parents liked the name, but I am. The name only really got any meaning through people calling me Caspian."

"You've been talkin' to Uncle Doug too much," Rowan cut in. "It has hard-light dust, so what about Ardent... uh, Luminance?"

"You just shoved two light words together and hoped it worked," Ichigo asserted.

"You come up with something!"

"Since it's Snow's weapon, maybe something having to do with ice, or the cold."

"That's not an answer!"

"Fine," Ichigo conceded. "Glacial... No, Frost... Frosty..." He sighed in defeat."Dang. This is hard."

"We can combine light _and_ ice," Rowan suggested. "Glacial Luminance?"

"Again, with the shoving together of words," Ichigo replied. "Do you name all weapons that way?"

"Hey, Sanguine Storm is a dope name!"

Caspian pursed his lips, looking at the four hard-light configurations of Snow's weapon. They glowed a pale blue, and the silver of the weapon's handle complemented its wielder's stark white eyes and hair. An idea popped into his head.

"What about Absolute Zero?"

"That's..." Rowan began. He cocked his head, looking to the screen. "...Actually pretty good. Whaddya say, Snow?"

"It will do."

* * *

The next day, all first-year students gathered in Sentinel's main lecture hall for yet another assembly. The Headmaster strode up to the stage and adjusted the microphone, but instead of the Headmistress, a man stood to his side. He was dressed sharply, black fitted vest over a deep blue shirt, and wavy brown hair falling to his shoulders.

"Do we _really_ need to have a career day?" Rowan muttered, chin resting on his crossed arms. "Don't get me wrong, it's cool your uncle is the guest speaker, but we aren't in middle school."

"My dad says it's because it's hard to make a living being a huntsman now," Caspian explained. "That's why we take so many normal classes here, too."

"Heyy, he's cute!" Caspian heard a girl declare from behind him.

"Yeah. Ooh! The screen says he works at Frontline, so I bet he's loaded, too," her friend agreed.

"Aw, gross..." Caspian mumbled. "That's my uncle..."

"He's a pretty good lookin' guy!" Rowan acknowledged.

"That's not the point!"

"If I may?" the Headmaster began. The rumble of the audience, including the conversations among teams CRLN and LSLI, settled into a murmur. "In lieu of this week's Saturday training exercises, we have opted to hold an assembly aimed at providing some direction for your future. But, I'm sure you've all heard enough of me for one schoolyear. So I have the pleasure of turning this meeting over to my dear friend, and Organic Android Development Supervisor of Frontline Biomedical, Douglas Hudson."

Applause rose from the crowd. The two girls behind Caspian seemed especially eager.

Uncle Douglas's talk was, admittedly, less exciting than the usual Saturday practices. Caspian had heard his first couple of talking points before- that he couldn't tell exactly what his job was at Frontline, but that he supervised the development of the Organic Androids' unparallelled Artificial Intelligence, along with holding a seat on the company's bioethics committee. He then went on to explain the importance of connections in finding a career, Sentinel's partnerships with companies based in all four kingdoms, and the internships that would begin in their third year; all the stuff that made Caspian nervous about the future.

"Now, I'm going to have to ask you all to do something that I know sounds a little cheesy," Douglas said. "There should have been a card and pencil on the desk in front of you when you came in. Does anyone not have a card or pencil?"

A couple of hands went up, and a handful of upperclassmen who had volunteered for the day set about providing what was needed as Uncle Douglas continued speaking.

"On that card in front of you, I want you to write your dream job," he declared. "You're going to be turning this in, but no one will ever read it so don't be afraid to write your most unrealistic, embarrassing dream. If part of you is still chasing that childhood dream of becoming an astronaut, write it! Years ago, I never would have thought I'd end up as the Organd Development Supervisor for a billion-lien company with a bachelor's in philosophy."

Douglas allowed the audience of first-years a few minutes of quiet. "_My dream job?_" Caspian thought. "_Well, I guess being some kind of detective has always seemed cool..._"

"_What's my dream?_" Lazula pondered. She put pencil to paper. "_Easy. I want to stay at the top._"

Snow pulled the card slightly closer to herself before writing across it in her neat, even script. She folded the card, and placed her pencil atop it.

After turning in their cards to a black box at the front of the room, Caspian and Rowan strode up to Douglas, who was near the door thanking his upperclassmen volunteers. "Cas! Rowan!" he greeted. "Good to see you two."

"I really need you to help me out," Rowan said. "Do you have any tips for picking up girls?"

Uncle Douglas sighed. "Again, with the 'picking up' thing. That shouldn't be your goal," he reminded. "Pickup artist culture as a whole is... a little sleazy. Disrespectful, even."

"But I've heard the stories!" Rowan insisted. "Back in your day, not a single girl could resist your charm!"

"And I've been happily married to the love of my life for ten years now," Douglas finished. He sighed again. "...But, if you're determined, I'll tell you a little something. Do you know the difference between real smiles and fake ones?"

"Nope," Rowan replied. Caspian had been looking around and toying with his Holoband in an attempt to show his uncle he didn't endorse Rowan's enthusiasm, but his interest was piqued now as well.

"Well, if you approach someone, they may force a smile just to be polite. But if their smile is genuine, you can see it in their eyes," he explained. He pointed next to his eye. "You'll see crows' feet, little wrinkles on the outer edges of their eyes, which will tighten up a bit. That's one way you know the smile is real."

"Huh... hey, thanks!" Rowan acknowledged, as Ichigo and Snow walked up to the front of the room.

He bid Rowan and Caspian a farewell smile. "Of course. And please, stay out of trouble."

"You know, that advice probably won't do you much good," Ichigo teased.

"When did you get here? And what do you mean?"

"Laurel doesn't even bother faking a smile around you."

The first-years were dismissed for the day, an hour or so earlier than usual for a Saturday. Lilly decided to show Lazula the café she had visited with Noxis toward the beginning of the year. Laurel went off to band practice, somewhere in the city's Southern half. Caspian, Rowan, Ichigo, and Snow made their way back to the dorms together. And Noxis, well, it was always a bit of a mystery where he went off to after class and training.

Caspian and the rest passed through the pocket of trees to the East of Blue Square, beyond the school's secondary lecture hall and next to one of its smaller libraries. December had announced itself with a windstorm on its first day, which had rendered the branches above completely bare. Yet squirrels and small birds rummaged through the dead leaves below, lending the enclave the slightest hint of life.

"So, what did you guys write?" Rowan inquired, striding out in front of his friends, facing them as he walked backward.

"Wasn't the whole point that no one else would know?" Ichigo questioned.

"Ah, but that's no fun!" Rowan argued. He stopped, leaning in with a mischievous smirk. "I bet you were the one who wrote down astronaut, huh?"

"I did not!" Ichigo protested. "...I wanna be a programmer for one of Port Cyrreine's big companies. Maybe I'll even start my own."

"Nice!" Rowan commended. "Cas?"

Caspian rubbed an imaginary itch at the back of his neck. "I always thought it would be cool to be a detective. I know it's nothing like they show on tv, but piecing together clues to solve crimes sounds like my kind of thing."

"I bet you'd be able to get some kind of cool internship through the school, too," Rowan added. "Or you could figure out what's up with the Grimm coming back." He turned his head. "Snow, what about you?"

"I would rather not say."

"Aw come on! Everyone else said what they wrote!"

"If she doesn't want to, don't force her," Caspian cut in.

"It's not like I'm asking her who she likes or anything," Rowan reasoned. "A dream job probably isn't embarrassing, right?"

Snow bowed her head. "I want to be... a mother."

Rowan chuckled in surprise. "You wanna be a mom?" he repeated.

Snow cocked her head, her eyes narrowing a hair. "Why is this making you laugh?"

"Huh? Oh, I- just about any girl can become a mom if she wants to," Rowan said. "Don't you want to find something that's more of... you know, a dream?"

Snow was silent. It always was a bit hard to tell what was going on in her head, but Caspian could tell she didn't look happy.

"Plus, it's a little surprising," Rowan continued with an oblivious grin. "You've always seemed kind of like a robot!"

"I am _not _a robot."

The words, spoken in Snow's usually soft voice, carried a startling strength. Her eyes had narrowed further into a bitter glare, brows stitched together with her head tilted down.

Rowan stared at her with wide eyes and mouth slightly ajar, the first words of any number of responses on the tip of his tongue.

With a breath, Snow continued past Rowan. He turned to go after her, but Caspian could see in the cadence of her steps she had no desire to be followed. He put a hand on Rowan's shoulder to hold him back, and watched Snow continue on to the dorms.


	20. Shopping Spree

A week passed. Rowan and Snow hadn't come to a full argument, but they hadn't made up, either. She hardly provided him the opportunity to speak with her. In the classes they shared, she made a point to sit on the opposite end of the group, and she had even missed the weekly Knights of the Round Table meeting. When the weekend rolled around again, Caspian was surprised she accepted his invitation to Cyrreine Mall, a shopping center a few minutes North of campus. Rowan would be there, after all.

"Hey, isn't that your brother?" A man's voice asked. Caspian looked up to its source.

Walking back from the path that led to the Student Fitness Center was his sister, with a boy Caspian had seen on posters and advertisements all over campus; Midas Baine.

"Caspian!" he greeted, walking up with his perfect smile to offer a handshake. Caspian looked down to it with a jolt of surprise, but met it. "Headed out to do some training? Lazula and I are just coming back."

"Oh, actually, we're going to Cyrreine Mall. The Winter Holiday is coming up, so I figured today would be a good day to look for gifts."

"Oh nice, have fun!" Midas responded. With a nod of acknowledgement to Rowan, Ichigo, and Snow, he continued along.

Yet as the two of them passed, Caspian felt a nudge from behind. It was his sister.

"Have fun, but remember to train," she advised. Before Caspian could reply, she continued on with Midas. Caspian sighed, and a cloud of mist rose into the chilly air.

"Dude! That was Midas Baine!" Rowan exclaimed in an eager whisper. "We just met a celebrity!"

"I know," Caspian replied, his voice devoid of Rowan's enthusiasm. "But also, you've known my sister for how long now?"

"Doesn't count, we grew up with her," Rowan argued. "It'd be weird if I got starstruck after knowing her for seventeen years. But I'm surprised by how nice Midas seems in real life, he was just like in his interviews!"

"I'm surprised he even bothered to learn my name," Caspian grumbled. He looked back to Midas and Lazula, who were halfway up the stairs to the dormitories. "Doesn't something about him seem kinda... I don't know, disingenuous?"

"I bet you're just jealous!" Rowan teased. "I don't blame you. If I could trade places with anyone, it'd be him."

"I'm not jealous!" Caspian protested. "He just has a new girl on his arm every week. I don't want my sister to be next."

"_Or Lilly,_" he added internally.

"I'm not sure Lazula needs you looking out for her," Ichigo commented.

The walk to Cyrreine Mall was only a handful of minutes, once the four made it to the paved trail from the North that looped through campus. The center's walkways, covered by an arched glass ceiling a couple of stories above, held just about any store Caspian could have imagined. He passed upscale boutiques and various specialty shops; and every kind of restaurant from oddly-expensive chains to fine dining.

"All this has just been a few minutes away this whole time?" Caspian thought. Apart from the droves of people, the mall was quite nice. "I really need to get out more."

Caspian slowed as he passed a toy store, something in the window catching his attention. It was a doll. Plush, not like the ones surrounding it whose plastic faces had that uncanny realism that sent a shiver down his spine. She wore overalls that matched her blue yarn hair. He looked to Snow, then back. Seeing his friends begin to disappear into the crowd, he jogged to catch up.

The four explored several shops, picking up gifts for parents and friends as they went. Caspian got a kick out of one store that sold a variety of experimental high-tech items no one really needed. The holographic dishwasher display, and two-hundred lien mug that linked to the user's Holoband, seemed more like things the rich would buy just to have, rather than necessity.

Ichigo and Rowan ducked into one of the center's cheaper restaurants to grab a snack to go. Caspian stayed outside with Snow, opting to grab a bite from the vending machines instead.

"What did you get?" Snow inquired.

"Oh, this? Chocolate covered pretzels, and apple juice," Caspian answered, raising each in turn. He opened the bag of pretzels and tilted it toward Snow. "Want one?"

Snow tilted her head out of curiosity, and gingerly extended a hand into the bag. She pulled out a single pretzel, and raised it up to her nose to smell it.

Caspian chuckled. "You're supposed to eat them," he teased. He popped one into his mouth.

Snow bit down, taking about half with her first bite. She paused for a second or two, before eating the rest.

"So, what do you think?"

"I like it," Snow decided. "I've never had one before. Thank you."

Caspian smiled, holding the bag out again. "Want another?"

After their snack, they set out to wrap up their shopping trip. As Caspian folded away the half-empty bag in a coat pocket and recycled his bottle, he winced. A child's piercing wail rang out through the shopping center. He tried his best to ignore it, but he hadn't made it to the door of the next building before the child cried out again.

"Can't people control their kids?" he murmured. "Nobody wants to hear that."

"The child sounds like it's in distress," Snow assessed. Her eyes narrowed and she paused, turning her head to the source of the noise.

"Oh I can tell," Caspian responded. "Come on, let's-"

"Let's see if we can help." Snow hadn't waited for Caspian's response before cutting through the crowd of the main promenade and down a side alley. Better for her, really. Caspian wouldn't have agreed otherwise.

By the time Caspian and the rest had caught up, Snow found the girl on a bench next to an ice cream parlor. Her face was red and painted with tears, and she was alone. Snow knelt down beside her as Caspian looked up to the store's sign, figuring out whether he wanted to go in. The place looked good, but ice cream on a day this cold didn't sound all that pleasant.

"I can't find my mommy!" the girl screamed, words hardly intelligible through her sobs.

Snow tilted her head slightly. Her usually vacant face softened. "How old are you?" she asked.

"Uh, Snow?" Caspian cut in. The question seemed off-topic, and off-putting.

"I'm... three," the girl replied. Though it still seemed hard for her to speak, her tears and screams had both stopped.

"I see. And what's your name?"

"I'm Lily."

A smile traced across Snow's lips. "That's a lovely name. I have a friend named Lilly, too." She sat on the bench next to her, placing a hand gently on the sleeve of the child's hot pink coat. "This is a nice coat, Lily."

"Th-Thanks..." the cries began to return "M-My mommy got it for me but I lost her!"

"We'll help you find her. I'm sure she's looking for you," Snow assured. "Where did you lose her, and how?"

"I don't know," Lily whimpered. "There was a... dog."

Caspian caught Snow's eyes widen for a split second, but she regained her composure. "What color was this dog?" she asked.

"It was big, and... and... yellow."

Snow let out a breath of relief. "Yellow," she repeated. She looked up to Caspian. "Let's take her to security. I believe I saw their base next to the technology store." She then turned to Rowan and Ichigo. "Wait to see if her parents arrive, and keep an eye out for yellow dogs."

"You got it!" Rowan confirmed.

With their approval, Snow took Lily's hand and escorted the girl back toward the main walkway with Caspian. They went straight for a bit, then down another covered alley, toward the wall of stores at the edge of Cyrreine Mall. Caspian peeked through the glass door of the security base. He could see someone in blue at the desk and a woman, red hair pulled through the back of a baseball cap, standing across from them. Caspian opened the door, letting Snow and Lily inside.

"Lily!" the woman nearly shouted in relief. She abandoned the desk and knelt down to wrap her daughter in a tight embrace. "I was so worried!" she looked up to Snow and Caspian, who felt a smile coming to his face. "Thank you two so much! Where was she?"

"She was next to Blue Rock," Snow replied.

"...The ice cream place," Caspian explained. "And it was mostly Snow, really," he added with a chuckle. "I just kind of followed along."

"Well, thank you. I can't thank you enough!" Lily's mother fervently expressed. "We were walking along, when suddenly she screamed and ripped free of my hand. There were so many people I had no idea where she went! Lily is mortified of dogs. Someone was walking one, and before I noticed, it stuck its nose right in her face."

"...Explains the dog comment. No Beowolves here," Caspian realized.

"I'm guessing you two are from Sentinel, then?"

Caspian and Snow both nodded.

"Be careful, then. And thanks for all you do."

Caspian and Snow opened the door, once again bracing themselves against the December breeze. "Hey, go ahead and get back to Ichigo and Rowan," Caspian said. "I found something I think Ichigo would like earlier, I'm gonna go grab it."

"Okay."

As Snow crossed the street, Caspian tried to work out a mental map of the area. That toy store he passed by earlier was on the other side of the main promenade somewhere. Hopefully, he could get there and back before anyone came to look for him.

He had found the perfect gift for Snow, and there was no way he'd let anyone ruin the surprise.

"Awww, aren't you a friendly one?" Ichigo cooed, rubbing the sides of a smiling yellow labrador's face.

"Cooper's a little too friendly," said the dog's owner. "Scared a poor little girl half to death earlier."

"I'm sure he didn't mean it!" Ichigo defended. He looked to his side. "Oh, Snow's back."

Snow walked up as the dog's owner continued on his way. "We found the girl's mother at security," she announced. "She seemed happy to have found her daughter."

"I'm glad," Rowan replied. He sighed. "And... I want to apologize. For last week."

Snow nodded. "It's okay," she assured.

"No, it's not," Rowan insisted. "It was wrong for me to make fun of you like that. I'm sorry I called you... what I did. And I'm sorry I laughed when you told us your dream." His usual grin returned. "Now I see you're amazing with kids! I'm sure you'll make a great mom someday."

Snow bowed her head. When she raised it, she wore a smile that didn't reach her eyes.

"Thank you, Rowan."


	21. The Winter Holiday

With the end of December, the Winter Holiday came. Of course the holiday was created to celebrate the end of the Great War over a hundred years before, but Caspian was happy to have nearly two weeks off, and a chance to unwind from the constant assignments and training exercises of Sentinel. The dorms held nowhere near the luxury of his family home; glass walls with views of the ocean, marble and mahogany floors, and a bathtub large enough to lay down in, that he didn't have to share with three other teammates.

Lazula hardly seemed to be slowing down. Every day since break started she woke up at the crack of dawn, and trained until after Caspian woke up. He admired her commitment, but every night a small part of him feared she'd wake him up the next morning and drag him to her custom-built practice arena.

The night before the Holiday, every member of teams CRLN and LSLI -apart from Noxis, who disappeared the minute after their last class together- came to Skye Manor along with their parents. All were dressed in their nicest clothes for the countless pictures that would inevitably be taken that night- all apart from Caspian, who wore the most repugnantly lurid sweater he could find in the discount store in Cyrreine Mall. Red bells attached to the tree sewed to the front of the green sweater jingled with each step, almost matching the sweater's crimson collar. To complete the look were thick brown pads of leather at each elbow. Extra protection, just in case.

He had been helping out with preparing the feast for dinner, and afterward sat on the bench of his mother's grand piano, a shining antique in the corner of the living room. After a few minutes of practice, Snow walked over with a curious look.

Caspian smiled. "Hey, wanna learn how to play?"

Snow nodded. "Okay."

Caspian scooted over to the far side of the piano bench, giving Snow just enough room to sit next to him. "Hm... where to start..." he pondered. He had played as a hobby for quite some time. Apparently he was drawn to the instrument when he was only a few years old, and his mother taught him from there. "Well, the piano has eighty-eight keys, and this might seem like a lot, but there are really only twelve notes so it's not that bad."

"Eighty-eight does not evenly divide into twelve," Snow noted. She cocked her head. "How are there eighty-eight?"

Caspian paused. "I... actually I'm not sure..." he replied. "But that's not important for now. Let's start with the C-Major scale." he pressed a key on the piano, and eventually worked his way up. "It starts at C, and goes down the alphabet until F. Then it wraps back around to A and B. This scale just deals with the seven white notes in its range, so it's a good place to start."

"There are an extra three notes at my side of the keyboard," Snow commented.

"What?"

"There are an extra three notes at my side of the keyboard. The keyboard starts with A, but its highest note is a C. That's why there are eighty-eight notes."

Caspian looked to Snow in surprise. "Well, mystery solved I guess!" he responded with a laugh. But how did she notice so quickly? He pulled a sheet of simple music out from behind the one he had been practicing on, and pointed to the first note. "Anyway, the C corresponds to this note, here. The next note is G, so I'd press this one. The whole song goes like this," he concluded, and began to demonstrate.

"May I try?" Snow asked after he finished.

"Go for it!" Caspian permitted, scooting further to the end of the bench.

Snow lowered her hands to the keys. Her eyes drew up to the paper, then back down. Caspian watched in confusion and surprise as her fingers moved deftly over the notes, striking them with both perfect cadence and accuracy.

"...You're telling me you've _never_ played piano before?"

"I haven't."

"Huh. I remember being stuck on this song for weeks..." Caspian replied. He turned the page. "What about this one?"

"Actually," Uncle Douglas interrupted, suddenly appearing behind the two. "Snow, can you help your mother and I with something for a bit?"

Snow nodded and stood up, leaving Caspian at the bench. He glanced up with a disappointed look. "Maybe later then," he offered. Caspian sat for a few moments, and after deciding he still didn't have enough room for a slice of pie, shuffled through his music to find a song celebrating the Winter Holiday. He cracked his knuckles, and began to play.

A handful of measures in, a soft voice began to match his notes, singing the words accompanying his play. Lilly came to his side, leaning on the piano as she sang.

Determination struck Caspian. He could feel everyone's eyes on him. For them, for Lilly, and for his honor, he wouldn't miss a single note. The song played out for what felt like ten minutes, but couldn't have been more than a couple. When he finally finished, he leaned into the piano and let out a deep breath.

Judging by the applause, the duet went well. He and Lilly made a pretty good pair.

"That was pretty!" Laurel complimented. "You're definitely the better singer of the two of us."

Lilly smiled, but shook her head. "I'm flattered, but I have to disagree. That's clearly you. I don't have anywhere near your range."

"All I do is scream over a wall of guitar and drums," Laurel dismissed. "You can actually carry a tone."

Lilly held out the corners of her dress, looking at Laurel's thrashed black sweater and matching jeans. "Whatever the case, someone like me is no fit for a punk-metal band," she admitted.

Deciding the pressure of one song was enough, Caspian walked back to the couch and took a seat next to his sister. As he sat she eyed his sweater with disapproval.

"I hope whoever designed your shirt got fired."

Caspian threw his head back with laughter. His sister was hardly one for jokes, and this one was one of her strongest in a while. As he recovered, his eyes flicked to the doorway, where his father stood.

There was a peculiar look on his face. One maybe of shock, or sudden realization. As their eyes met, Headmaster Skye nodded, and turned back into the kitchen.

The night wore on for a few more hours before everyone began to settle into the many guest rooms of the house. Morning came, as did the time to exchange presents. Lazula was touched by Lilly's album of pictures of the two through the years, and was particularly amused by Rowan's joke gift of a cheap plastic trophy, "because she didn't have enough of them."

Caspian gifted Lilly a new set of tea cups. Vintage, imported straight from Mistral. It cost him a small fortune, but as his parents practically owned half of Port Cyrreine, and a sizable share of the Schnee Dust Company, money was never an issue. He had genuinely no idea what to get Laurel, but judging by her reaction to the set of high-quality guitar accessories he assumed she might use -a set of picks, straps, and a new stand- he did well.

His gift to Snow was one of the very last opened. He made sure to sit right next to her as she did, waiting and trying to conceal the eagerness in his eyes. She undid the wrappings slowly and methodically, undoing each length of tape and gently unfolding the paper in stark contrast to Rowan, who somehow managed to unwrap each gift in one savage tear.

Finally, Snow opened the box. She paused, and as usual her blank stare gave away nothing.

"Is this for me?"

Caspian grimaced. "Y-Yeah... I have the receipt if you don't want it..."

Snow set the box down, and pulled the plush doll from it gently. She held it to her chest, and a smile began to form. Small at first, but it grew into the biggest, cheeriest one he had ever seen from her. He glanced at the corner of her eye.

Crows' feet.

"I love it," Snow said, hugging the doll tighter. "Thank you so much."

"Of course," Caspian replied, his smile beginning to match hers. "I saw it when we went to Cyrreine Mall, and couldn't help but think about you."

Snow held the doll in front of her before setting it down on the box. Still kneeling, she turned to Caspian with arms outstretched. The hug lasted longer than he expected; probably because neither of them knew the proper amount of time for a friendly hug, and were waiting on the other to disengage.

Afterward, Caspian and his friends opened one of Rowan's new board games. Though Lazula and Laurel hardly ever played, after enough insisting that it was a holiday, and the game could be played with up to eight people, they joined as well.

Meanwhile, Caspian's mother and father walked along the path through their expansive yard, under its trees and through the bushes that would erupt with life in a few months' time. "Do you remember the vision I told you about, after I was almost killed in our last fight with Vladimir?" the Headmaster asked.

Headmistress Skye nodded. "Even before we had them, you told me you saw Caspian and Lazula, in our living room. Caspian was smiling."

"I saw that exact scene last night, after Caspian played that song," the Headmaster stated. He took in the cool air. Clouds had rolled in, but it hadn't yet started to rain. "I don't know if it means anything. I just wanted to tell someone."

"You saw the scene you saw all those years ago..." Headmistress Skye reflected. "It makes me wonder, but it also reminds me." Her gaze fixed on him, and she stopped suddenly. "When are we going to tell Lazula?"

The Headmaster turned to face his wife. "About?"

Her eyes narrowed. "You know what I'm talking about."

The headmaster sighed, then nodded. "It's best we wait for now," he decided.

Headmistress Skye's eyes clouded with doubt. "Not telling her just... doesn't sit right with me. We're lying to our own daughter."

"We haven't told her any lies," Headmaster Skye maintained.

"We haven't told her the _truth_, either."

Headmaster Skye shook his head. "I'm sure you understand what's at stake here," he insisted. "When the time is right, I'll be the one to tell her."

Without a reply, the Headmistress turned, and made her way back to the front door.

* * *

That night, once all gifts had been opened and a feat of leftovers was had, Snow stood alone in her guest room. She held the doll in her arms like a child, rocking her slowly back and forth as she watched her reflection in the mirror propped up on the dresser. The muffled tones of the piano from downstairs made their way into the room.

Snow paused, locking eyes with her reflection.

She quickly stepped over to the bedside, laying the doll down under the covers before returning to the dresser. She leaned over it until her nose nearly touched the mirror, and put her fingers to the edge of her eye.

The change was slight, but there was no mistaking it.

Her eyes had tinted the slightest shade of blue.


	22. Snow Day

Thousands of white dots drifted past the highest window in Skye Hall. The Headmaster sat at his desk, the glow of a dozen holographic screens reflecting in his glasses as the Headmistress paced back and forth next to him. Every couple of seconds, she turned to the window to ensure the snow still fell.

"Oh, this isn't good. We've already accumulated four inches, and it says the snow will continue through the morning!" she lamented. "We'll have to call in de-icers, but with the way the roads look, I don't know if they can even get here! Oh! We can get Alexandra- no, I'm sure she's busy. There's no way she could clear the whole campus herself, either."

"Azure."

"I knew we should have invested in heated walkways! It's too late now, but maybe we can install them over this Summer? At least on the main pathways..."

The Headmaster looked out to Halfmoon Plaza where a handful of students mulled about around the fountain, tossing snowballs back and forth, and building tiny snowmen. Beyond it, the lights of Port Cyrreine were a blur of color in the night.

"Let's give them the day off tomorrow," the Headmaster decided. "I'll send out a message to let them know to be careful. But they've been working hard all year, and finals are almost here. They deserve a break."

"Okay," the Headmistress confirmed. "That will give us some time to organize de-icing, too."

* * *

The hot chocolate from Skye Cafe in The Roots didn't pair well with Caspian's dinner, but fit perfectly with the snow drifting lazily by the window, and the cozy, warm atmosphere of the dining hall.

"Come on, hurry it up!" Rowan pleaded. "This kind of snow is rare around here!"

"The snow is predicted to continue until tomorrow afternoon. We have time," Snow asserted. She lifted her spoonful of soup to her lips.

"Okay, okay," Rowan said. He watched as three people slid down the hill outside on makeshift sleds. "But as soon as we all finish we're headed outside, right?"

"I think I'm staying in tonight," Lilly said, frowning at the weather. "It looks rather cold outside, but cold weather is perfect for enjoying tea."

"...Do you mind if I join you?" Caspian asked. It did look cold outside, and with Lazula out at practice it was the perfect time to hang out with Lilly. Plus, he had decided he was going to test his luck soon. '_Shoot his shot_,' as Rowan put it. Whether he gathered the confidence tonight or not, a friendly conversation over tea couldn't hurt his chances.

"Oh, if you don't mind staying in, I surely wouldn't mind the company!" Lilly replied with a smile.

Lazula trudged back from the SFC, ducking her head down against the freezing wind. As it whipped down the trail, it carried globs of wet snow. Every now and then, a cluster of snow that collected on the branches above would come crashing down dangerously close to her. Her joggers and windbreaker weren't nearly enough for this weather, and the snow on the ground only made her journey slower.

It was wildly unpleasant, Lazula thought. But she gained the slightest hope as the warm glow from the windows of Cedar Hall came into view. Soon, she'd be back inside. The thought of her hot shower, a hot cup of tea with Lilly, and her friend's smile, were enough to warm her. Her footsteps quickened.

"Call Lilly," Lazula ordered, once she had reached the stairs next to Cedar Hall. Her friend's picture projected from her Holoband. "_Odd,_" she thought. Lilly usually picked up in a few seconds.

She didn't answer at all this time.

Despite her disappointment, she continued up the stairs and to the dorms. Her shower warmed her up, but after she sat idle in her room, chin resting on her hand as she watched the snow drift by her window.

Since the next day's classes were cancelled, she didn't have any urgent homework. Finals were coming in just over a week but the content was easy enough, so she wasn't worried. Besides, the academics weren't why she was at Sentinel.

"_I __**really **__don't have much of a social life, do I?"_

The way the snow fell to the ground and blanketed the entire campus _was_ pretty, and there were so many people outside, it felt almost wrong to stay in alone. With clothes better suited to the cold, a little peek outside wouldn't hurt. She opened her closet, layering on sweatpants and jackets until she could barely move. Then, a beanie to hold her deep blue hair. She looked in the mirror.

She was entirely unidentifiable.

Lazula walked around the side of Cedar Hall, making her way to a courtyard a bit downhill of the dorms. She had noticed it before and it was nice enough, but no one ever seemed to be there. This night was no exception.

She paused for a bit, taking in the scene. A white sheet blanketed everything in view, from the dorm buildings and trees to one side, to the view of Cyrreine Mall and the corner of the bay at the other. A few inches covered the flat concrete bench beside her. Its pristine surface begged to be disturbed.

She pressed her gloved hand into it until the snow flattened no more, a mark as if to say "I was here." Next to it, she crudely traced the symbol that adorned her cape. Satisfied, she backed off a few steps. She looked behind her. Then to the windows of the dormitories surrounding her, and downhill to the trail. She was entirely alone.

She sat down and laid on her back with arms at her sides, then began to make a snow angel.

* * *

"You know you want to!"

Noxis knocked Rowan's hand off his shoulder. "I'm just going for a walk. I'm not going to join in on your snowball fight, because I'm not eight years old."

"Even Lazula's joining us!" Rowan goaded. "Are you about to tell _her _she's acting like an eight year old?"

"Just leave me be."

"But without him, teams won't be even..." Caspian mumbled, watching Noxis leave Cedar Hall's lobby. The elevator opened and Team LSLI appeared, decked out in full snow gear.

"Hey, even in a winter coat like that you've got a nice body," Rowan said, slinking up to Laurel's side.

"Leave me alone."

"That's the second time I've heard that today," Rowan noted.

"Somehow, that doesn't surprise me."

"So how are we gonna do this?" Ichigo interrupted. "We could go team against team, boys against girls..."

"Why not teams?" Lazula suggested. "We can count this as an extra training exercise."

"Everything's training with you!" Lilly teased. "We have a day off, it's time to relax."

The snow outside was deeper than Caspian expected. As he left the patted-down sidewalk for the expanse of grass between the dorms and the music building, his boot sank halfway to his knee. The two teams spent some time to prepare, and build makeshift fortresses. What Team CRLN lacked in numbers, they made up for with Lilly's attunement to dust.

"Challenging us was a mistake," Lazula declared. "We refuse to lose to you!"

"What we lack in number, we make up for in spirit!" Caspian returned. "We will fight until our last breath!"

He threw the first snowball, and all frozen hell broke loose.

Chunks of white shrapnel flung from the top of the wall as Team LSLI let loose in retaliation. Caspian, Rowan, and Lilly ducked for cover behind the wall, scrambling for ammunition.

"This isn't good!" Rowan shouted. "We're up against Lazula!"

"I'll let you in on a secret," Caspian said, packing in a snowball. "My sister can't throw. We should be more worried about Laurel. Considering she's a sniper, she's got good aim. We might have to watch out for Snow, too."

"I've got this," Rowan replied. He reeled back onto his knees, and flung snowball after snowball at the enemy team. After a couple of shots hit Ichigo and Laurel, they pulled back behind their fortress and returned fire.

"There's no way we'll win like this," Caspian assessed. A chunk of shrapnel flung from the wall next to him. "With more people than us, they have more ammo. Our best bet is to be mobile."

Caspian, Rowan, and Lilly scattered, abandoning their wall. Lazula's eyes widened as her brother approached, and she put her arms up to block his snowball. He ran past her as fast as he could in the deep snow.

"Get back here!" She shouted with a laugh. "And stand still!" One snowball landed far to Caspian's side, and another cleared his head by a few feet. He scooped up her second throw, and returned it. He felt a twinge of satisfaction beating his sister at _something,_ even if it was just a snowball fight.

The fight continued for several minutes, during which even Lazula forgot to keep track of who was winning and losing. Snow seemed to be enjoying herself too, probably in part due to her skill. She was near impossible to hit, with the way she dodged around snowballs. Her aim wasn't bad, either.

Lazula stood still for a second, and Rowan cracked a grin. He packed a snowball in tight, flinging it toward her with all the strength he could muster. Everyone seemed to stop what they were doing as they watched it crash into Lazula's cheek, knocking her head back with the impact and exploding into a fine powder.

"Oh, no..." Rowan lamented. He turned to his teammates. "It's been nice knowin' you guys."

Lazula's eyes fixed on Rowan as she removed the snow off her reddening cheek with a single wipe, full of dramatic flair and spite. She calmly turned to Snow, handing her a snowball.

"Go ahead and throw this at Rowan for me."

"How hard?" Snow asked.

"As hard as you can."

Rowan's eyes widened. "No, _wait!_"

Snow's arm cocked back, and she let fly. The snowball careened forward like a cannonball, knocking Rowan back as waves of red aura rippled across his chest.

"Nice shot!" Laurel commended.

"...Maybe _not _as hard as you can next time," Lazula decided, looking to Rowan.

He was slow to get up. "Yeah, I think I'm out."

* * *

Noxis stepped down the sidewalk, hands in his pockets as he looked up to the trees and buildings blanketed in white. The snow had slowed since the night before, but small flakes still drifted down from above. He passed by groups and couples decked out in coats and beanies, and playing like children. He continued on, paying them no mind.

He passed into the alcove of trees next to the library, and stopped. Despite all the people outside, it was entirely silent. The blanket of cotton in the clearing had been entirely undisturbed. Noxis cleared snow off a stone bench, and sat under the barren branches of an oak tree.

He held a hand out, and let a single snowflake fall into his glove.


	23. Wilting Hope

As soon as Lazula ditched her rain-drenched clothes for her combat uniform, she had a feeling it was going to be a good meeting. The snow had melted some over the past several days, but only when Port Cyrreine's usual Winter rain came back in full force did it truly begin to disappear. A sparse layer of slush was all that remained outside.

"Alright, since finals are next week, this is gonna be the last practice of the semester!" Midas announced. "But, I'm sure you all know that by now. After break, we're gonna hit the ground running to prepare for the Vytal Tournament! Anyway, we'll just do some pretty standard routines today, and then a cooldown on the indoor track, because I'm sure you guys don't want to go out and run in _that_." He twirled Resplendence with a grin, and pointed its tip to the Sparring Team. "But first! Do we have any challenges today?"

A hand strapped into what looked like weightlifting gloves eagerly shot up toward the front. It was the squirrel faunus who had struck up a handful of conversations with Lazula before, and was the second first-year to join the team, after herself.

"Yes, Moka!"

"I want to challenge Lazula!"

A chorus of excited murmurs rose from the crowd, and Moka turned to Lazula.

"As soon as the second semester starts, we're going full speed ahead until the Vytal Tournament!" Moka explained. "Every sponsor in Remnant is gonna be watching, so I wanna know what I'm up against!"

Lazula returned her smile. It had been a while since someone challenged her; most just figured they wouldn't bother, and challenged someone closer to their skill level.

"I accept your challenge."

Midas looked to Moka. "What are your safety parameters?"

"Let's do twenty-five. I still wanna be able to work out with you guys after!"

Lazula could sense the crowd's excitement as she took her position in the SFC's practice arena. Lazula's regal blue and gold attire looked like something belonging to the grand hero of a high fantasy. Across from her, Moka wore tight cargo pants a shade halfway between brown and green, a knit scarf, and a beat-up tank top. Their school pictures were projected from a screen above. Moka's big brown eyes nearly closed with how hard she smiled. Next to her, Lazula scowled.

"This is an impromptu sparring match between Lazula Skye, and challenger, Moka Chino!" A tall, wiry young many with curly black hair announced. "The first combatant to decrease their enemy's aura to twenty-five percent, or the combatant with highest aura level after five minutes, will be declared winner!"

The crowd cheered, and the countdown began.

Lazula and Moka met in the center of the arena. Moka's first punch, aided by the brown waves of aura crackling across her body and arm, slammed into Aegis. She pushed Lazula back with a left hook, followed by a swift right jab and a couple more strikes, Aegis ringing with each blow.

Brown waves of static worked their way around Moka's core, chest, and arm, indicating another semblance-enhanced punch. Lazula braced herself, careful not to channel enough of her semblance to injure her challenger's wrist. Still, she pushed the faunus backward as her attack landed, and took the offensive with a pair of swings. Moka tucked her arms in and ducked around them on light feet like a boxer, then spun on one foot to kick Lazula's third swing into the ground.

Lazula felt a punch to her gut and was flung backward toward a hollering crowd. She stopped and stabilized herself with her sword before blocking Moka's next attack and channeling it into a strike of her own, taking a chunk of her foe's aura.

Moka pulled back, her default smile replaced by a determined stare as she once again took a fighting stance. She leapt toward Lazula, and her next several strikes were lighter but quicker. Another powerful punch neared, this one with a spark of yellow surging from the studs on her glove. As Lazula raised Aegis to block it, electricity coursed into her shield, and her arm seized up. Knocking Aegis aside with a smile, Moka delivered a strong jab to Lazula's gut that nearly knocked her to the floor.

The faunus didn't let up, and before Lazula had a chance to catch her breath she had to raise Aegis once again. After a few more strikes, Lazula chanced a stab. Moka spun around it and struck down at Lazula with her forearm. Lazula shoved her back, following up with a high, horizontal slash.

Moka fell for her ploy. When the faunus ducked under her swing and had her back turned, Lazula shoved forward, knocking her to the ground. She held Moka down with a boot on her stomach, and lowered the tip of Impetus a few inches from her throat.

Moka's eyes widened as she looked at Lazula's gleaming weapon. She looked up with a grin, and raised her hands in surrender.

"So that's why you don't lose!" Moka joked as Lazula helped her up. "I felt like I was fighting a brick wall! ...With a sword."

"You're not bad either," Lazula complimented, sheathing Impetus. "You said you were looking for sponsorships?"

"Yeah! My mom needs Frontline's care, so after I saw you win a few tournaments I thought I'd try out the whole huntress thing!" she side-eyed Midas. "Frontline's treatment just _has _to be so darn expensive, but they're the only ones who can help her... But yeah! I took martial arts classes as a kid, but I forgot most of the stuff so now I just punch and kick things and it usually works!"

"Well, keep it up," Lazula encouraged. "Tournaments have been giving out more and more prize money recently."

"Thanks!" Moka returned. "You can go ahead and win the Vytal Tournament though. It doesn't give any prize money. Kinda weird if you ask me! It's like, _the_ tournament, but the winner only gets a trophy and a ton of bragging rights."

"Whatever the case, you're right," Lazula recognized. "If you want to pick up sponsors, that's the place to do it."

* * *

As Caspian neared the door to his team's dorms, his heart began to pound. Lilly was always out in the common area at this time in the afternoon, and Caspian wanted so desperately to back out, as he had all those times before. But it was too late. He clutched the bouquet in shaking hands, and he had told Rowan today was the day. A bit of insurance, as he knew without it he would continue straight into his room with little more than a polite greeting to her. Caspian raised his wrist to the pad at the side of the door and it opened into a short hallway, which turned left upon reaching his room.

At the end of the hall was the common area, Lilly writing away at the table. She looked up, and Caspian felt as if his heart stopped. He managed a smile.

"Those flowers are beautiful!" Lilly complimented.

"Thanks, I-I'm glad you like them," Caspian returned. He felt short of breath as he approached her. "I have something to ask you."

"Ah, I actually have something to ask you as well," Lilly returned coyly. "But go ahead," she allowed.

Caspian took a deep breath. "These flowers are for you. I've been wondering... for a while now, actually..." he stammered. "Do you want to go out sometime? Like... as a date?"

"Oh, Caspian..." Lilly began. He winced. He could already see the hesitation on her face. She looked to the doors down the hall, then up to him. "Can we speak outside?"

Caspian swallowed the lump in his throat, and nodded, following her out to the balcony. The two stayed near the window and under the eaves, taking shelter from the driving rain that obscured their view of the bay.

"Caspian, you're a very good friend. You're smart, kind, and have a great sense of humor. Any girl would be lucky to have a young man like yourself," Lilly gently assured.

"_I should have expected this_," Caspian thought to himself.

"...Provided she's _into_ men."

Caspian blinked. He looked from the rain that bounced off the railing to Lilly for the first time. "Do you mean..."

Lilly nodded. "I like girls, Caspian," she said in a hushed voice. "Please, don't tell anyone. You're the only one who knows."

Caspian didn't know quite what to feel. Disappointment, of course, as his crush of several years crumbled into an impossibility. Surprise, and a couple other feelings he couldn't put into words.

"No one knows? Not even your parents? Or Lazula?"

Lilly grimaced a bit. "No, no one. It's not that I fear what they would say, either. My parents have told me before they would accept me, and I'm sure Lazula would do the same. I'm just not ready to tell them."

Caspian nodded, once again looking out at the rain. "Well, you said you had something to ask me. Go ahead."

Lilly started. "Oh- no. I can't."

"What do you mean?"

Lilly shook her head. "I couldn't do that to you. I may ask you in time, but not today."

By the time Caspian arrived to meet his friends at The Roots, they already sat around the usual table, halfway into their meals. It was a labor to drag himself down to the dining hall when he wanted nothing more than to be alone, but he still needed to eat _something_, and his friends would find out eventually, anyway.

"Hey, there he is!" Rowan welcomed. "So, how did it go?"

Caspian wrung his hands under the table. "...She turned me down."

Rowan's face fell. "What? How come?"

Caspian pursed his lips. "I... I'm not sure. She just said no."

"Oh... I'm sorry to hear that," Ichigo offered.

"Aw, man..." Rowan murmured. "Well, there are plenty of other fine ladies at Sentinel!"

"_Sure, but none of them are the girl I've been crushing on for years,_" Caspian thought. He was silent.

"I've got an idea!" Rowan declared. "Why not come with me and try to get a girl's number? Find someone to talk to, y'know? Ichigo never wants to go with me."

"I don't either."

"You seem to bother Laurel. This might be a bad idea," Snow commented.

"Oh come on, it'll be fun!" Rowan encouraged. He looked to Caspian. "Is there anyone else you've had your eye on?"

"I... guess there's the sandwich girl..." Caspian recalled. "But-"

"Oh! I think I know who you're talking about! She's working today, let's go!"

"Wait, I d-" Caspian stuttered. "She's working, now's not the time!"

"Don't you always get sandwiches on Wednesdays?" Rowan said. "We'll get you some dinner too! Two birds, one stone!" He practically dragged Caspian from the table, and brought him to the sandwich kiosk at the far end of The Roots.

The girl working had thick streaks of blonde in her dark brunette hair wound into a single braid down the back of her neck, with dark brown eyes that seemed to shine beneath her glasses. She smiled as the two approached.

"Hey! The usual today?" the girl asked, her gloved hand approaching a loaf of bread.

"Uh, yeah," Caspian returned. "I'm Caspian, by the way."

"I'm Rye!" she returned, pointing to her nametag. "And yes, I know it's ironic that I work at the sandwich place, and my name is Rye. I get that a lot."

Caspian chuckled. "Did you choose the sandwich place because of that?"

"Nope! I just got placed here randomly," she explained, organizing turkey, bacon, and cheese on the bread. She looked up. "Toasted today, right?"

"Yup," Caspian confirmed. He took a deep breath. "I was wondering, can I have your number? We can maybe... uh, hang out sometime?"

"Oh, sorry, I have a boyfriend!" Rye stated. She looked over Caspian's shoulder. "Hey babe!"

Caspian's eyes went wide as a deep voice replied from behind him.

"Hey cutie."

Rye looked to Caspian as he left in a hurry, retreating to Snow and Ichigo. "Is he still gonna want his sandwich?" she asked Rowan.

Rowan sighed. "Yeah, it's gonna be the same one as usual. I'll pay."

After classes the next day, Caspian and Rowan walked in the shadow of Skye Hall on their way back to the dorms. At Rowan's suggestion, Caspian had asked a girl in their class for her number. She had rather bluntly declined.

"I'm just saying, you gotta keep trying until you succeed!" Rowan encouraged.

"Really? And how well has that worked for you?" Caspian retorted.

"It's a work in progress," Rowan responded. He stopped suddenly. "Hey! Just the guy we need right now!"

"Cas, Rowan!" Uncle Douglas greeted with a smile, coming down the front stairs of Skye Hall. "What's up?"

"We're just coming back from class," Caspian said. "What are you doing here? Don't you work today?"

"I was discussing top-secret stuff with your dad," Douglas replied playfully. "Just kidding. We were talking over the Vytal Festival. Frontline's offering a little boost to security this year, is all."

"Probably for the best, huh?"

"We need your advice again!" Rowan cut in. "Some stuff happened and Cas is a little down in the dumps. How can he find a lady-friend?"

"Again, your goal shouldn't be to 'find' a lady-friend," Uncle Douglas reminded. He smiled lazily. "But all I can say is be yourself."

"That's all?" Rowan prodded. "Everyone says that!"

Douglas shrugged. "Because it's true. If you act like someone else, you'll end up with someone who likes that someone else. If you're your genuine self, and show the true 'you' with all your flaws and quirks, you'll find a genuine connection." He rubbed the stubble on his chin. "But other than that, put yourself out there! Make friends, and eventually you might find someone you click with."

"I see..." Rowan pondered.

He waved. "I _am_ on the clock, so I should get back to HQ. Good seeing you kids, tell your friends I said hi."

Rowan seemed invigorated by the talk, but Caspian was discouraged further, if anything. All the talk of flaws and quirks, and getting out there to find someone that accepted and loved them, it didn't seem real. It didn't seem possible.

He couldn't imagine anyone loving his genuine self.


	24. Getting Out There

"What colossal Grimm, seen only once, was defeated by the silver-eyed huntress Ruby Rose in Argus, year 82 post-war?" Snow read from her sheet of practice questions. She looked up to Caspian.

"Leviathan," Caspian replied with certainty.

Snow nodded. "Correct. And what special ability did Leviathan have?"

Caspian pursed his lips. "Well, it was _huge_... Oh! That beam thing, right?"

"The Leviathan could let loose an energy blast from its mouth. This energy blast was capable of breaking through Argus's hard-light barriers," Snow replied.

"Yeah, that's a better way of putting it," Caspian admitted with a laugh. He scrolled down on the screen in front of him. "Let's see... what special ability was possessed by the Wyvern Grimm that attacked Beacon Academy during its fall?"

"It could drop Blackened Pools, which spawned Grimm."

"Right!" Caspian confirmed. His eyes narrowed. "The Blackened Pools that spawn Grimm were supposed to all be eradicated after Salem's defeat... Weird."

"Cas! There you are!" Rowan greeted, shuffling into the booth next to him.

Caspian sighed. His quiet study session with Snow had come to an end.

"So, remember what your uncle said about getting yourself out there?"

"Yes..." Caspian hesitantly responded.

"I pulled some strings and got us invited to a party tonight!" Rowan proudly announced.

"A party?" Caspian repeated. "Finals start Monday!"

"You'll do fine!" Rowan encouraged.

"Will you?"

Rowan paused for a second, and waved his hand. "I'm sure I'll do fine enough!"

"I don't really think parties are my thing. Too loud," Caspian continued.

_Too loud, too many people, and he still wasn't quite over Lilly._

"It's an academy party, you gotta at least go to one!" Rowan insisted. He looked to Snow. "Girls get in without a problem, you wanna come?"

"No."

"I think my dad would have a heart attack if we brought Snow to a party anyway," Caspian figured. "...And fine. I'll go."

* * *

Caspian could hear the muffled music of the house party from a block and a half away. He and Rowan walked together along the narrow residential streets just North of campus, streetlights casting the shadows of bare branches onto the cracked sidewalks.

"Whose house even is this?" Caspian pondered as he and Rowan made their way past a group, boisterous enough to draw their sobriety into question, and to the front door.

"Not sure. Some fourth-year, I think," Rowan explained. His lack of certainty did little to assure Caspian.

"Holobands?" the faunus at the door asked. Caspian held his wrist out uncertainly, and the man held his own up to it. "You're good," he said, once a green light flicked on from within his own Holoband.

Once inside, the music threatened to burst his eardrums. The song was a strange hybrid of rap and electronic, but not a particularly good song for either genre. Caspian wedged his way between a crowd and the wall, offering apologies he was sure they couldn't hear. Lights flashed throughout the otherwise dark room at the end of the hall, coating the mass of people in randomly alternating shades of blue, pink, purple, and yellow.

It _had _to be a fire hazard, having all these people crammed in such a tight space. Rowan said something from behind him.

"Whaaat?!" Caspian shouted back.

"I said, let's get something to drink!" Rowan repeated. Even with his loudmouth friend shouting next to his ear, he could barely hear him.

"Let's get water, it's hot in here!" Caspian decided, making his way toward the sink.

Rowan chuckled. "Water? Nah, I'm talking one of _these!_"

He held out a tiny glass of a clear mystery liquid.

"That's not water?" Caspian questioned. He held the drink up to his face, and recoiled at the stench. It smelled like some kind of cleaning solution, and he wasn't entirely sure it was safe for human consumption.

"We'll do it together," Rowan suggested, holding out a glass of his own, then pulling it back to just under his chin. "Three, two, one!"

The deceptively colorless liquid that ran down Caspian's throat was putrid. His face twisted in revulsion at the taste, and his throat burned with the disgusted breath he let out. He continued to grimace as the liquid's remnants lingered on his tongue. As he held the back of his hand to his mouth, his eyes flicked to the several tables that had been laid out, looking for water, juice, a spare slice of pizza. Anything to mask the flavor.

Rowan clapped him on the shoulder. "How was your first shot, man?" Caspian let out a disgusted groan as a reply, and Rowan laughed. "Now, to the dance floor?"

Caspian held up his empty glass. "I'm gonna need a few more of these before I start dancing."

Over the course of the next hour or so, he had a few more. He stopped caring as much about the music, the lights, and how many sweaty strangers were crammed into that one room. As his head began to spin, he even did a little of what resembled dancing. Eventually, the heat of the room got to him, and his thirst was unbearable.

"Can we get some water now?" Caspian asked, stabilizing himself on Rowan. "My throat is... needing water."

"Yeah, mine too," Rowan agreed. The two shuffled out of the crowd and into the side hall that led to the kitchen. They grabbed a plastic cup each, and drank deeply from the tap. Usually, Caspian preferred filtered water, a degree or two away from frozen. But by this point in the night, he couldn't care less.

A flicker of movement down the hall running parallel to the dancing room caught his eye when he left the kitchen. It was the big fluffy tail of the squirrel faunus he had seen around quite a few times since the Entrance Exam. She looked up to him, and flashed the same smile he still remembered from his first day at Sentinel. He smiled back, and felt a hand pull him back into the kitchen.

"I saw that!" Rowan hinted with a wink and a nudge.

"Saw what?"

"That squirrel girl. She's totally into you!"

"That? Nah..." Caspian dismissed. He pulled up a chair and sat, hoping Rowan would dismiss his reddened face as being due to the alcohol. "She's probably just really nice."

"You gotta give it a chance! We're gettin' out there, remember?" Rowan insisted.

"No, I've seen her around a ton before, it would be weird if I talked to her out of nowhere now," Caspian reasoned.

"You've seen her arou- okay. Listen. I want you to repeat after me," Rowan instructed, holding Caspian's shoulder and leaning in, pointing between his eyes. It seemed the drinks had caught up with him as well. "You're cute, wanna dance?"

"No! She's gonna like... run away or something," Caspian protested, sloppily brushing Rowan's hand off his shoulder. "What if I tell her I've seen her around before, and say I wanna introduce myself? Then, just hope the conversation continues from there."

"So, you gonna do it?"

Caspian sighed, and stood up. He took a couple of seconds to let the kitchen settle into place, then looked at Rowan. "I think I got this."

He stopped upon reaching the mouth of the hallway. The faunus still sat in the same chair, but a young man with a captivating grin stood next to her. He couldn't tell what they said, but judging by her smiles and nods, the conversation was going better than any he could've hoped to have with her. She finished off her drink before walking with him to the dance floor.

She _was_ just really friendly, he realized. The smile meant nothing special, and he felt stupid for letting his half-drunk euphoria tell him otherwise.

"Can we go?" Caspian suddenly asked.

"Huh? I thought you were having a good time," Rowan asked in return.

"I was, but... I want to leave," Caspian decided, shaking his head.

"That was _one _girl!" Rowan argued. "This party is packed, there has to be at _least_ a hundred more here."

"I know, and I don't care anymore. I don't want to be a part of any of this. It's hot in here, and I want to leave."

Caspian shuffled past the crowd that had gathered in the hall and toward the front door, leaving Rowan no choice but to follow. He stumbled down the steps and out of the driveway, making it about a block toward campus before taking a seat on a set of concrete stairs, bathed in the orange-brown glow of a streetlight. He could still hear the bass, and muffled lyrics of whatever song the party host played. He didn't envy their neighbors.

"What happened in there, man?" Rowan inquired. Caspian could hear the worry in his voice.

"This whole thing, getting drunk and finding some random girl to dance with, and... whatever else. It just feels so shallow," Caspian complained. "Lilly and I have been friends for years. I thought we could've had a relationship built on that. It's not like I'm mad at her or anything, I just can't replace something like that at a party."

"Hmm..."

"And I know Uncle Doug said to get out there, but he also told us to be ourselves," Caspian reminded. "This isn't me."

"You want someone who knows the 'real' you," Rowan said. "What about Snow?"

"What about her?"

"She's cute, isn't she?"

"I guess..." Caspian admitted. "But I don't think of her that way, really."

"Oh, right. If your uncle took her in, isn't she technically your cousin?"

"No!" Caspian nearly shouted. "I... I mean, it's not like that. That's not why."

"Then why not Snow?"

"I don't know how to put this without sounding mean. I don't mean to be, because she's such a good friend and all, but she's kind of..."

"Weird?"

"No, that's-" Caspian disputed. He sighed. "That's not what I was gonna say. Look. We have training tomorrow, and finals start on Monday. Can we just go home?"

* * *

The young man in purple grunted as he slammed chest-first into the ground, his weapon clattering out of the arena.

He groaned again as he turned onto his side, and began to sit upright. "Just my luck to be partnered with _her_..."

Lazula made her way down from the practice stage, and back toward her team. Another easy match. If this was what to expect out the Vytal Tournament, it surely would be another win. Of her teammates, all but Ichigo had won their practice matches, and he was more of a supportive member, anyway. Team LSLI was looking like a serious contender among the first years of Sentinel, and Lazula couldn't wait for the tournament.

"Thank you, for the matches," Cascara, who had been tasked with overseeing the day's first-year practice duels, commended. The holographic screen above the stage cycled through dozens of faces, before settling on two more teams. "The following four matches will be between Team CRLN, and Team BLCM."

Caspian breathed out a deep breath. A dull, nagging pain wracked his head, and his stomach felt both empty and uneasy, even after choking down his breakfast. His fight against the admittedly gorgeous magenta-haired girl would come last, according to the order on the screen. He recognized Rowan's opponent too; the faunus he had almost struck up a conversation with the night before.

"I've gotcha, man," Rowan assured. "I'll get revenge for last night."

"R-Revenge?" Caspian repeated. He chuckled. "Good luck and all, but that's _really _not necessary."

The next couple matches were intense. Lily and the blue haired dust-wielder Lake were evenly matched, but Lilly's close-combat ability saw her coming out on top. Noxis went even with Team BLCM's leader Blaise, a bodybuilder with a crest of crimson hair. Yet once he slung Renegade back over his shoulder and unleashed his semblance, he too won it for Team CRLN.

Rowan faced Moka on stage. He pulled Sanguine Storm from his back with a grin, pointing it to his foe. Moka hopped on the balls of her feet as a quick warmup, then stretched her shoulders.

"Where's your weapon?" Rowan asked.

Moka raised her fists. "They're right here!"

Rowan chuckled, spinning his massive blade for show. "I'll go easy on you, don't worry."

Moka smiled. "Oh, I'm not worried!"

After the usual countdown, their match began. Rowan led with a spinning strike, using the weight of his blade to guide his attack. Moka twisted around as she ducked under it, and the instant she was clear of the blade she sprung up with an uppercut to his stomach. He stumbled back with a grunt as another punch landed, finally managing to raise the broad side of his blade to block her next strike. He pushed her back and struck toward her, but she easily hopped back and out of harms' way.

"Huh. She's pretty good," Caspian noted.

"Oh, she's on the Sparring Team with me," Lazula recognized. "Nice girl. _Never_ stops talking, though."

When Caspian looked back up to the fight, the tread of Moka's boot was locked on the edge of Rowan's blade, at the end of a roundhouse kick. Brown sparks worked from her leg, to her core, to her chest as she pushed off his blade and reversed her momentum. A powerful hook met Rowan's jaw, and she followed through to finish the fight with a spinning kick.

"Hey! Are you alright?" Moka asked, offering her hand.

Rowan took it, and was helped to his feet. "Well unfortunately I can still remember everything that just happened, so I don't think I have a concussion!"

"The final practice match between teams CRLN and BLCM will be between Caspian Skye, and Cattleya Ophrys," Cascara announced, once Rowan and Moka had returned to the sidelines. "Please come up to the stage."

Caspian breathed out a deep breath. He was more used to the practice matches by now, and knew almost no one remembered who won or lost on a given day. Yet having the eyes of every single first-year at Sentinel fixed on him was still a bit nerve wracking. His heart leapt into his throat as he locked eyes with his opponent. Had he seen her in a movie, or as a model in one of the giant ads in downtown Port Cyrreine, he wouldn't have had a second thought. But in person, it was surprising to see someone with such a marked lack of flaws.

As the countdown started, he suddenly remembered he had to fight her.

When they engaged, his first strike was blocked by Cattleya's rapier, as was his second. She redirected its force to his right, but Caspian managed to block her follow-up with a swift strike.

The two traded slashes and swipes for a minute or so. Compared with Noxis and Lazula, Caspian realized it was enjoyable to spar someone closer to his own skill level. _Fun_, even. He unlocked his blade from Cattleya's and backed off, transforming his weapon to fire off a few shots. All but one hit their mark.

Cattleya lashed out with her rapier in response, and it extended toward him like a whip. Its gleaming tip whistled through the air, and Caspian barely managed to block it in time. A vein of glowing pink coursed its way along Cattleya's whip all the way from her hand to Undertow. As she wrenched back, the glowing pink acted like a powerful, instant adhesive, and his weapon was ripped from his grasp.

Undertow clattered noisily across the ground until it settled a few feet behind his opponent. Without giving Cascara the chance to call the match, he ran for it.

Cattleya struck at him as he neared, but the blow glanced off Caspian's armguard as he slid for his weapon. He grasped it and transformed it back into a pistol as he turned and stood, firing off a few more shots.

"Ow!" Cattleya cried, holding her arms up and wincing at the barrel of Caspian's gun.

Caspian pulled back with hesitation, lowering Undertow a hair.

Cattleya smirked and lashed out once again. The tip of her blade met the center of Caspian's chestplate, and the pink vein linked them. He was wrenched toward her, and as he neared the link between them faded. She collapsed her weapon back into a rapier and jabbed Caspian's stomach, nearly shattering his aura.

The lights around the arena turned on. "Alright. The winner of the practice match between Caspian Skye and Cattleya Ophrys is Cattleya," Cascara concluded. "Thank you, both teams, for the matches."

"Caspian _Skye_?" Cattleya inquired, turning to him with curiosity.

"Oh- y-yeah, that's me!" Caspian confirmed with a nervous laugh.

"You're Lazula's brother then? And the Headmaster's son?"

"Yeah, th-that's me!" Caspian repeated.

Cattleya laughed. "You're cute! I'm Cattleya." She poked at her Holoband's screen, then held out her wrist with a smile. "That was a fun match. Text me if you wanna spar again sometime, or if you just wanna hang out!"

Caspian held his wrist out, still a bit star-struck. As his Holoband pulsed once with vibration. He couldn't help but smile at the "new contact" projecting from it.

* * *

**So, to spare her who knows how many chapters of being called Cattle-ya, I'm gonna clarify now that it's pronounced CA-tel-EE-uh. Also, her team name (BLCM) is pronounced Blossom!**


	25. Covert Turbulence

**Heya guys, it's been a little bit, but I promise I wasn't slacking off! I finally graduated with my degree in psychology, then after that I decided I was unhappy with the next few chapters and reworked them almost completely. But I'm proud of them now, so here ya go**

* * *

"Good morning, Caspian. You slept for eight hours and four minutes. Would you like to see this morning's top news stories?"

Caspian pushed himself upright until he sat, rubbing sleep from his eye. A red light blinked across the wall of his darkened room, coming from the device on his headboard. A Breaking News alert, he realized. It could mean quite a few things- some celebrity's passing, a natural disaster, or, more recently, a Grimm attack.

"Yes," he confirmed out of curiosity.

"Six night employees have been injured after an industrial complex owned by Nautilus Incorporated was robbed overnight. Eyewitness testimony suggests the attack was perpetrated by the Red Claw, though authorities declined further comment. Losses include five Ray-Class airships and twenty units of combustion dust, estimated at 4.5 million lien. Anyone who has seen the airships is strongly encouraged to call the Port Cyrreine Emergency Line."

"4.5 Million?" Caspian repeated to himself in disbelief. "...This can't be good."

After classes, and the regular lunch at The Roots, Caspian was back in his room and in front of his mirror. A nice sweater, his favorite pair of khakis and best shoes, a spray or two of cologne. But still, did he look good enough for his first date _ever_? Every time he thought about it, his heart would beat faster and he'd have to take a few breaths to brace himself. He straightened his glasses and took a deep breath, finally turning around and making his way to the door.

His glasses were immediately knocked askew by Noxis.

"Oh- Sorry," Caspian said with a shy nod of the head.

Noxis's hair was untied, and the usual tousled spikes atop his head were flattened. He looked down at Caspian with little more than a grunt.

"You, uh, weren't in class today," Caspian noted.

"Yeah. I was tired."

"Oh, well, I have all the stuff we worked on today. I can send it to you."

"Sure, thanks," with the shutting of his door, the conversation ended. The whole interaction struck Caspian as a little odd, but his date with Cattleya was more pressing.

* * *

"For two, please," Caspian greeted the young woman at the counter.

"I'd like a table with a window, too," Cattleya added.

As Caspian waited for a table to open, he admired the restaurant's atmosphere. Marble floors, floor-to-ceiling windows along the wall that faced the shore, and a bar next to a rack of undoubtedly expensive wines. All the hallmarks of a high-end establishment. Every surface seemed to shine with the dim light of candles and wall torches. From somewhere past the bar, a piano played.

Upon being seated, Caspian switched from admiring the restaurant to his date. Her low-cut purple dress complimented her hair, and the light of the candle between the two danced in her eyes.

"Hm, we're late," Cattleya remarked.

"Yeah, I guess I should've expected a wait like that on a Friday, sorry," Caspian responded.

Cattleya undid her Holoband. She laid it flat, and extended a screen from it until it became a small tablet. She held it out to Caspian. "Can you take a picture of me?"

"Oh, sure," Caspian agreed. He took a few seconds to frame the shot, and took it. "I can't believe I've never asked this," he said, returning her device. "What made you decide to come to Sentinel?"

"It's a good way to make connections," Cattleya responded. "I see the way your sister's treated, she's basically a celebrity."

"Yeah, she's not a big fan of it though," Caspian added. He ran back through what he had just said. Was it dismissive? Overly negative? Those _were_ her aspirations, and he had just cut them down. "...Maybe you'll like it more though!" he added with a smile.

"Maybe. Hey, could you take another one?" she asked, running fingers through her hair. "My hair was uneven." Caspian complied a few more times, until Cattleya was satisfied. She leaned back to poke at her Holoband.

"Do you know what you're gonna get?" Caspian asked.

"Not yet, no."

"The grilled salmon is their most famous dish, but I've heard the seafood salads are surprisingly good too," Caspian offered. He looked over his old-fashioned paper menu. "Oh man, the prices aren't even on here," he added with a chuckle. "That's not a good sign!"

"You're rich though, right?" Cattleya prodded.

"Oh, yeah. We don't need to worry about the prices," Caspian assured. The waiter came, and the two ordered. The plates followed some conversation, but after snapping a picture of her meal, Cattleya looked dissatisfied.

"Is everything alright?" Caspian checked.

"It's so... small," Cattleya noted.

"Do you want something else?" Caspian offered. "They have a lot of soups and salads and stuff too."

"Waiter," she called, flagging one down. "I'd like another menu."

"Oh, of course!" the waiter complied with a slight bow and a smile. She gave one. "I'll be right back for you."

"I'll just be a minute," Cattleya insisted. The waiter paused, glancing to the older couple a few tables down. After a minute or two, Cattleya looked up. "I'll do the sauteed abalone. With the caviar topping."

The bill for their meal came out to a few hundred lien, plus a generous tip. They took the Main Line, the underwater subway between Sentinel and Downtown, back to the academy. As night had fallen, the water was an inky black.

"Wanna come back to my dorm?" Cattleya asked, once the lights of Cedar Hall were visible on the hill.

Caspian started. _Back to her dorm, _he reflected. Was that code for something? He realized he had absolutely _no _frame of reference, but the date seemed to have gone well.

"Oh- uh. Yeah, sure," he stammered.

Caspian and Cattleya made their way to Cedar Hall. Upon arriving at the door at the end of the third-floor hallway, Cattleya raised her Holoband to the lock sensor, and the two made their way inside. It looked much like Team CRLN's, but with a less

impressive view and a sofa in the corner. A familiar girl sat at the side opposite the door, turning to Caspian as it opened. Moka, Caspian was fairly certain.

She grinned and stood to greet Caspian as he followed Cattleya into the room. "Hey! You're the guy who saved all those people during the Entrance Exam!" she recognized. "I'm so glad you got in! I was actually interviewed by the news that day. I was totally on your side, but they ended up not using my interview because I got all worked up and ended up using some language they didn't want airing."

"Moka," Cattleya interrupted.

"You know? They show news _every_ night about murder and crime, but accidentally drop one F-bomb and the microphone is ripped away faster than a-"

"Moka. We're going to be needing the couch."

"_Okay, so just the living area,_" Caspian assessed. "_I can handle that much."_

Moka nodded. "Okay, okay. I should probably get some homework done anyway," she replied, turning back to the couch to close her behemoth of a laptop and shove it into her bag. "You know I'm actually more productive when I'm at the library. When I'm around here I always get distracted. Oh! But it's raining now, so maybe I'll just go down to The Roots. If it's not too loud I should be able to-"

"Just _go_."

"...She seems nice," Caspian noted once the door was shut and locked.

"You don't have to live with her," Cattleya argued. "Gods, she's obnoxious. Like, she _never_ stops talking. Plus, she's brought back like six different guys since the start of the year, and spends every other weekend who-knows-where."

"Huh," was all Caspian had to offer. She really did seem nice though, and he felt bad for ousting her so bluntly. He didn't even get the chance to thank her for her support. Not that it was entirely his fault- she was talking so fast it was near impossible to get a word in edgewise.

Moka walked through The Roots with dinner in one hand, and the largest coffee the Skye Café would sell in the other. It was the dining hall's peak hours, and every table was either filled or dirty.

"Caspian would abandon us on a night like this?" a young man's voice lamented. "There's too much to discuss! Does he know what's at stake?"

"What happened last night is troubling," the white-haired girl next to him agreed, her voice hardly surpassing a whisper.

Moka turned her head, smiling as she made eye contact with the lanky redheaded boy at the far end of the circular table. She approached him, and the two that sat next to him. "Hey! You're Caspian's friends, right?"

"That's us!" Rowan confirmed.

Snow cocked her head. "Who are you?"

"I'm Moka, Cattleya's partner! Nice to meet you guys."

"Allow us to introduce ourselves," Rowan greeted. He began to indicate his friends one at a time. "This is Snow. A girl of few words, and fewer emotions. This is Ichigo, our obligatory hacker friend. And I'm Rowan. When Cas isn't around, I lead this group."

"We never put that to a vote," Snow contended. "All leadership decisions must be approved by at least a three-to-one majority."

"Maybe Snow should be second in command..." Ichigo pondered.

Rowan ignored him. "We are the Knights of the Round Table!"

"More like the _Nerds_ of the Round Table!" Moka teased.

"That was corny and you know it," Rowan accused.

"Yeah, I'll own it. It was bad," the faunus admitted. "Do you guys mind if I sit here?"

Rowan's eyes widened a bit. He looked between Ichigo and Snow for a few seconds before offering her a seat.

"Were you guys talking about those ships that got stolen?" Moka inquired. She raised her coffee up to her lips and tilted her head back for several seconds. "That's crazy, right? Four and a half million lien!"

"And it's the first time the Red Claw has done much of anything since we started here," Ichigo added. "I'm a little worried about the fact they have airships now..."

"It's just a few of 'em though, right?" Rowan attempted to soothe.

"Five Ray-Class airships and twenty containers of combustion dust were reported stolen," Snow recalled. "Not only does combustion dust power airships, it is also highly volatile."

"...So, what brings you down here, anyway?" Rowan asked, looking to the newcomer opposite him.

The table shook as Moka set her laptop down in front of her. "I just came down to eat and get some homework done, don't mind me!"

"How old _is_ that thing?" Ichigo marvelled, leaning in with a dumbstruck look.

"I got her used when I was like twelve, so... I don't know!" Moka answered. "But after all this time, Ol' Bessie's still kickin."

"I gotta admit, that's impressive..."

* * *

By the end of the night, Cattleya had cuddled up to Caspian on the couch. He was uneasy at first, not knowing the first thing about how to position himself, or where his hands should go. He was certain she could feel his pounding heart. He eventually became used to it, and admittedly, it felt good to finally have someone to hold.

Later into the night than he expected, Caspian decided it was best he headed back. He gathered his things, and stood by the door to bid a goodnight. Cattleya followed him.

"Well I had a really good time tonight," Caspian concluded with a slight nod.

Cattleya stepped toward him, a smile drawing across her lips. "I did too. Want to do this again sometime?"

"Oh- yeah! Of course," Caspian stammered. He held his arms out awkwardly for a hug, and Cattleya accepted.

After a few seconds, she pulled back slowly, smile still on her face. Caspian's eyes widened as she began to pull him in and she raised her chin, eyes closing with lips pursed.

Still not knowing exactly how, Caspian followed her lead.

* * *

The oblong hull of the Bluefin-Class airship descended into the alcove at the crest of a skyscraper in Port Cyrreine. Headmaster Skye sat passenger in the cockpit, his eyes narrowing behind his glasses as they approached. The words "Nautilus Incorporated" loomed in front of the window.

"Biometric scan required," a mechanical voice prompted from the control panel. A blank screen appeared between the pilot and the Headmaster, who planted his hand evenly upon it.

"Sending biometric data. Please wait." With a slight pulse, the screen flashed green. "Clearance granted."

Fins of white steel folded out from within the structure, supplying the ship a place to land. A broad door, which had previously opened to a fall of several hundred feet, slid open, revealing a sleek corridor of chrome and azure. The Headmaster's steps and the beat of his cane echoed as he approached the end of the hall alone, and arrived at a final door. He raised his hand to it, and was allowed in.

Windows swept across the far wall, granting the office a panoramic view of the bay. Only a handful other buildings crept up to rival the height of the office, including Frontline's own headquarters a couple miles toward the sea. Inside, an android woman stood at the side of a tall black desk, under a glowing hologram globe.

"Headmaster Skye. You've arrived," greeted a dainty, refined looking man with tightly groomed dark hair, and a tailored seafoam blazer to match his eyes.

"Delmar," Headmaster Skye acknowledged. He turned to another, bald and seemingly twice the size of the first in both height and breadth. His suit was a stone grey, and a salt and pepper beard covered his broad chin. "Griswold."

"Go on, have a seat," the man named Delmar welcomed. "Would you care for anything to drink?"

"I don't need anything, thank you."

"Well then, I see no reason to drag our feet any longer," Delmar addressed. "Several of my airships have been stolen by the Red Claw. We need to address safety concerns for the upcoming Vytal Festival, and the loss of property."

"I have no concerns about the safety of the Vytal Tournament," Griswold Baine assured in his husky voice. "Headmaster Skye and I have already agreed on an extension of existing safety measures, which includes a hundred more Organic Androids than originally planned."

"Your androids were in my shipyard when we were robbed," Delmar pressed. "If I can't trust them to watch over a few airships, how can we be certain about the Vytal Festival?!"

"You've registered the ships' serial numbers, correct?" Headmaster Skye inquired. "You must be able to track them down some way. If you're unable to recover them, if any ship with a matching serial number comes _close _to Port Cyrreine during the Festival, we'll have advance warning."

"I _can _track them down. That is exactly why I called you here today," Delmar hinted.

The Headmaster's look prompted elaboration.

"You own Sentinel Academy, the finest huntsman institution in Vale," he said. "You've got a wealth of young talent, and a handful of professionals at your disposal as well. You should have no issue taking them back."

"Can I expect compensation?"

"Compen- Do you know how much was stolen from me last night?" Delmar snapped, wringing his hands in an attempt to regain his composure.

"The estimates said 4.5 million lien," the Headmaster recalled.

"No small sum, to be sure, but it couldn't have put you in too desperate a spot," Griswold added.

"That was _wrong. _The real losses are nearly three times that. The number was downplayed to ease public concern."

Headmaster Skye nodded in understanding.

"You know what else went unreported?" Delmar pressed.

"Enlighten me."

"The Red Claw stole gear I was commissioned to produce by Vale's military. Guns. Ammunition. Dust-powered anti-aircraft weaponry. No one is supposed to _know_ about half of the shit they stole, let alone own it." He leaned in. "Your compensation is this city's well-being."

Headmaster Skye sighed. "Alright. Track them for me, and get back to me with a location so I can send someone to stake it out," he decided. "We'll have everything returned by the end of the week."

Griswold Baine and Headmaster Skye walked toward the airship pad together, leaving Delmar in his office. Just before the door, Griswold stopped the Headmaster with a hand on his shoulder.

"Excuse me for pressing, but have you lent anymore thought to my proposal?" he inquired.

Headmaster Skye bowed his head, then looked up to the suited man with a single nod. "I'm in."


	26. An Important Meeting

A few days had passed since the incident with the Red Claw. At first, it was all Lazula heard anyone talking about- which was big, considering the Vytal Tournament was fast approaching. In the days since, talk had wound down to a spare few comments in passing. Yet Lazula could feel a certain tension across campus. The gear stolen by the Red Claw seemed to have vanished entirely. And, as huntsmen in training, there was a collective, unspoken understanding among the students of Sentinel that if something big were to happen, they would be the ones tasked with sorting it out.

Returning from the Sparring Team's warmup jog, Lazula slowed to a stop outside the doors of the SFC. Just behind Midas, as per usual. She retrieved her bottle from the pile of belongings outside, and drank deeply upon catching her breath.

"Heya!"

Lazula nearly choked with surprise.

Moka laughed. "Didn't mean to startle you. I think I met your partner the other day!"

Lazula swallowed. "Oh. Snow?"

"Yeah! Your brother, too. And a couple of his friends! Ichigo and Rowan, I'm pretty sure?" she smiled sheepishly. "I don't think Snow liked me very much though."

"What makes you say that?"

"She was really quiet," Moka recalled. "...And when I was talking she kinda just stared at me!"

Lazula smirked in amusement. "She probably likes you fine. That's just how she is."

A burst of vibration at her wrist drew Lazula's attention from Moka. Her Holoband rang as well. Odd, considering she always had it set to silent. She heard the distinct electric jingle of a ringing Holoband from somewhere else in the growing crowd, and searched for its source. Near the door of the SFC, Midas put a finger to his wrist, and a screen appeared beside him as he separated from the team.

Lazula answered the same call, and saw her father.

"Good afternoon, Headmaster," Midas greeted.

"Is something happening?" Lazula questioned. She tried to keep her voice down and shuffle inconspicuously out of earshot, but a murmur of curiosity had fallen over the Sparring Team.

"I have an urgent mission for both of your teams concerning the Red Claw," Headmaster Skye reported. "Bring your teammates, and report to my office in Skye Hall at 7:00pm."

"Yes sir!" Midas cheerfully confirmed.

"Got it," Lazula declared.

The call ended.

"Well, looks like we might have to cut practice short today," Midas announced. "Lazula and I were just called to a mission briefing. Let's skip challenges today. I planned to go over some skills for fighting dust wielders, but let's save that for next week too and just go over some basic techniques."

A wave of disappointment washed over the Sparring Team, but they followed their captain inside. As Lazula rejoined the crowd, Moka appeared at her side once again.

"You're gonna fight the Red Claw?" Moka inquired. Before Lazula could reply, she continued; "I heard from Ichigo that one of the guys who works at Nautilus saw some kind of bird faunus with big black wings and a scythe leading them, but then he changed his story. All recordings from the Organds and security cameras got deleted too!"

"Let's not go around spreading rumors like that," Midas cut in. Neither Moka nor Lazula had noticed him, yet he stood almost uncomfortably close.

"Oh, I wasn't trying to," Moka replied innocently. "I just thought that might be something worth knowing, if you'll be fighting them."

"The Red Claw's leader is a bald woman with a snake's tail. I've fought her myself," Midas insisted, voice empty of its characteristic affable vigor. "Anything else is misinformation."

* * *

At the base of the lift up to Headmaster Skye's office, Lazula realized it was the first time she had ever personally seen Team MDLN in one place. Desmond, the swarthy gentle giant, had impenetrable defense between his gun-augmented shield and sheets of gleaming silvery blue armor. The wide-eyed and purple-haired Lavender was the team's assassin, with her blinding speed and tonfas that combined into a bow. Last left Nikole, the dainty, notoriously quiet silver-haired girl who preferred to speak through stony glares and razor-sharp wire. The four were Sentinel's top team before being dethroned by Lazula's own, but outside of tournaments, she felt she had only ever seen Midas.

The light next to the lift glowed and the doors opened, allowing for the eight to crowd in. The lift was silent and smooth. Lazula looked out the glass on one side, watching the Academy shrink beneath her. After a handful of seconds, the doors opened to the Headmaster's office.

Snow bumped into Lavender as she exited, and the silver-haired huntress responded with a glare. Snow blinked and tilted her head slightly as she stared, vacant silence her only reply.

Eight cylindric stools raised from the floor across from the Headmaster's desk as the two teams approached. They looked rather hard, but Lazula sunk in with pleasant surprise upon sitting. Her parents faced them, with a few familiar faces standing off to the side. First was Mrs. Kurayami, Ichigo's mother and the chaperone of her team's first mission. Then was Mr. Verdi, Laurel's father who was, like Mrs. Kurayami, a renowned huntsman in his prime. Last, Ms. de Sultana, an understudy of the two who currently taught first-year Combat Fundamentals.

"Welcome in," the Headmaster greeted. "This should be a short meeting, but it's an important one."

"As I'm sure all of you have heard, last weekend the Red Claw stole millions of lien worth of product from Nautilus Incorporated," the Headmistress reminded. "Total losses include five airships, and twenty units of combustion dust. Delmar Blanco of Nautilus has asked our help in returning the stolen goods."

The Holographic screens shielding the Headmaster from LSLI and MDLN blinked from sight, and were replaced by a perfect hologram of Port Cyrreine, the edges of each building glowing pale blue. The Headmaster swept his hand in front of the map, scrolling to a second peninsula a dozen or so miles past the Eastern Docks. The edges of the hologram were fuzzy this time, before refining to display the top of each tree. A pair of structures sat on a flat slate above the water's edge.

"We've tracked the airships to this location," he said. He nodded to the youngest huntress at his side. "Officially, these warehouses have been abandoned for almost five years. But according to our reconnaissance efforts, things are going on there that shouldn't be. Multiple suspicious individuals near the site, trucks entering and leaving late at night, you get the idea. We tried speaking with people who live in the area, but despite its proximity to the city, hardly anyone does."

"We're going to steal airships from the Red Claw?" Lazula interrupted.

"Almost," Headmaster Skye recognized. "You will play an important role in my plan to steal them _back_." He swept his hands past each other, zooming in on the warehouse complex. A high fence surrounded it, with a main gate for each side not facing the water. A set of roughly man-shaped icons appeared in front of one fence, reminding Lazula of chess pieces. "We'll park our airship, undetected, a safe distance away. I want Ichigo stationed inside to keep an eye on the location of each ship. I'd also like for you to establish a connection to each one, and override any controls the Red Claw may have put in place. I'll provide all the tracking data you'll need."

"I already have it."

"You..." the Headmaster began.

"It wasn't all that hard to get. I was actually gonna tell you, but then you called us here anyway."

"Well. Glad you're on our side. Regardless, upon reaching the perimeter, I want Desmond, Lavender, and Nikole to spread out along the fence, securing each gate to ensure no one makes it in or out."

"Got it," Desmond confirmed.

"The rest of you will continue through the main gate," the Headmaster narrated as the chess pieces advanced into the complex. "You'll be facing the Red Claw from here, and Grimm are a possibility as well, so be careful." Two icons split from the group and worked their way toward the smaller warehouse, leaving four for the larger. "Lazula, Midas, Snow, and Laurel. You clear out the main warehouse, where they're keeping the airships. Wait there until Pierce and Cascara have retrieved the dust from the secondary warehouse, and Kita arrives with the Organd pilots. When we've retrieved all five ships, our mission is over."

"That's a lot to remember, Headmaster!" Midas replied, cracking a grin.

Headmaster Skye smirked. "I'll remind you of what to do when it needs to be done," he assured. "As long as everyone does their part, I'm confident we'll succeed. We'll set out at this time tomorrow evening. Get some rest tonight, and classes for you all are optional tomorrow, by my order."

* * *

As Combat Fundamentals was an essential class for all first-years at Sentinel, it was broken up into three different classes to allow for more professor-student interaction. By pure coincidence, CRLN and LSLI were in the same 9:30am class, taught by Cascara. CRLN, including Noxis for the first time, sat together in their usual spot next to Team LSLI. Lazula and Laurel's seats were vacant.

"Man... Laurel _and_ the prof aren't here today," Rowan lamented, watching the stag faunus substitute make his way to the stage. "Why did I bother coming?"

"Lazula's gone too," Caspian noted. "Where is everyone today?"

"You haven't heard? The Headmaster said our classes are optional today. We're going on a mission tonight," Ichigo explained.

Rowan turned his head. "Wait, so why did _you _bother coming?"

"Headaster told us Grimm might show up, so I'm just doing stuff to keep my mind occupied," Ichigo said, fidgeting with the corner of his laptop.

"I enjoy going to class," Snow added.

"There might be Grimm?" Noxis repeated. "What kind of mission is it?"

"You know how the Red Claw stole those airships? We're supposed to take them back tonight," Ichigo explained. "We're going with Team MDLN, my mom and Laurel's dad. Oh, and the professor's coming too, which is why she's not here either."

"He's taking LSLI, MDLN, and some professionals. That's some serious manpower," Caspian commented. A part of him knew why he wasn't included in the mission. He'd just get in the way of skilled professionals and the students who were just as strong, after all. But still, to know his own father kept him off such an important mission stung a little.

"Please be careful," Lilly pleaded. "Do tell Lazula and Laurel as well."

* * *

The darkness of the peninsula just a handful of miles outside of Port Cyrreine struck Lazula. The night sky behind her glowed with the city's life, but below her was a sea of black. Her objective was lit by the few bulbs that hadn't yet given up, bathing the area in a light of sickly green. What had once been a hard-light dust fence was haphazardly replaced by chain link. Much of it had begun to rust and degrade.

Mr. Verdi walked over. Though a family friend that stood shorter than Lazula, he was one of a sacred few people who intimidated her. It could have been due to the scar crossing his now-bionic eye, or the fact he spent time as both a career criminal and White Fang Commander before becoming a huntsman. Lazula had never asked specifics from him, nor Laurel. But she got the feeling that if he had been caught, he'd still be in prison.

"Even though this isn't your first time facing Grimm, I want to make sure you kids know what we're putting you up to," he addressed. "The Grimm don't have minds, but if they did, the only thing on it would be killing you. They have no concept of mercy. On the bright side, they also have no aura. That means you can cut them down without having to waste time whittling down their shield first."

"I've fought the Red Claw before," Midas added. "We're a lot stronger than most of them, at least. But don't get careless."

"Good advice," Mr. Verdi recognized. "And, if the Red Claw is anything like the White Fang, they won't hesitate either. A mistake here could kill you." The ship continued to descend. Out of the window, Lazula could make out the canopy rising above them. "Alright. Pep talk's over. Remember the Headmaster's instructions, and let's do this."


	27. One Step Ahead

"Ichigo. Are the serial numbers I've relayed to you the same ones you've been tracking?"

Ichigo's eyes glowed magenta as he stared at his screen, returning to normal after a couple seconds with a blink and nod of his head. "Yup, they match."

"Good," the Headmaster replied. "And they're in the same spot?"

"Mm-hm, they're still there," Ichigo returned. "Now I just have to remote-access the security protocols and override them, yeah?"

"That sounds right."

Ichigo snickered in satisfaction, then looked up to the group of huntsmen. "This'll be easy. I'll try and be done before you guys get to them."

"We'll leave it to you," Mr. Verdi acknowledged. He waved a hand as his other rested on the airship's door. "Now, follow my lead."

The lights of the warehouse peeked through the trunks of pine ahead, providing dim light between bars of shadow. Mr. Verdi was in front, followed by Desmond's shield, and Lazula. Midas and Cascara brought up the rear. Lazula's eyes scanned the darkness. In spite of knowing she was among the most skilled team of huntsmen Sentinel had to offer, unease lurked in the woods. It felt much like encountering the dire wolf on her last mission. From somewhere in the dark, she knew she was being watched.

Mr. Verdi's raccoon ears flicked up, and he held out an arm to signal the group to stop. Through the trees, Lazula could make out what looked to be cloud coalescing in the woods in front of them. Then, a maddening noise like hundreds of squeaking wheels as countless tiny red eyes bobbed toward them.

As they neared, Lazula heard their squeaks morph into a chorus of screams.

"Hey, your eyes are doing the thing again," Laurel commented. "It's hard to tell in the dark, but they're colorful."

"We can figure that out later," Lazula decided. She looked back to the approaching swarm. "What are those things, anyway?" she asked.

"Young Ravagers," Mr. Verdi answered. "Nasty little shits. One probably won't kill you, but there's never just one."

Laurel raised Snake Eyes, and peered into its scope. After a second or so, she let out a breath of frustration. "How in the hell am I supposed to hit these things?"

"Hold it," Cascara asserted. "Let's not use our guns, that'll give up our position."

As the horde closed in, Laurel's father held out the green blade in each hand, firing a pair of grappling hooks into the trees. He zipped forward, becoming a cloud of smoke before reappearing in the middle of the Ravagers, hacking through a few of them with a spinning slash, and using his semblance again to appear on a tree branch safely.

Lazula unsheathed Impetus, swinging through the wing of one demon. A squeal next to her ear grasped her attention and she swung Aegis through the night, feeling contact. Two more honed in on her, and she eyed them as they approached. Their black bodies were a bit smaller than a cat's, with leathery black wings a couple feet across, and talons a couple inches long. There were a lot of them, but they didn't hit hard.

She realized swinging her blade was all she had, and felt something unusual. She was at a disadvantage.

Snow seemed to be faring a bit better with Absolute Zero's whip configuration, tearing through a handful at a time with each swing. Midas and Cascara shot with impeccable aim, missing Mr. Verdi as he tore through the cloud of Grimm. Yet it felt that with every screaming and clawing Ravager they slew, another would take its place.

"How many of these things _are _there?" Lazula questioned, slamming one that had clutched onto Aegis into a tree.

"Too many," Nikole cut in. She whipped her arms outward and flung a few strings of razor wire from each hand. As she pulled her hands back like a puppeteer, the wires worked their way through the horde, skewering each member in midair.

Midas grinned, clapping a hand on her shoulder. "Nicely done!" he commended. An arc of electricity worked from his palm, through Nikole's back and down each wire, lighting up the forest and frying the Grimm until they disintegrated into black smoke. Nikole retracted her wires. Though a few Ravagers still scratched at the group, the horde was thinned enough to press forward.

The group dealt with the handful of Beowolves they encountered up to the gate much easier than the bats, and Lazula couldn't see any more Grimm past the gate. Thanks to the lights of Port Cyrreine across the water, and the few that remained in the complex, things ahead were much better lit than in the forest. But among the shipping containers and construction equipment, the Grimm did have plenty of places to hide.

"If my display is correct, you've reached the fence," the Headmaster commented through everyone's Holoband. "Team MDLN, spread out along the fence and secure each gate. Midas, you stay with the main attacking group."

"Got it," Midas confirmed. He turned to Desmond. "You stay and secure the main gate. Lavender, take right, and Nikole, take left. The Grimm are here, and if you see anyone suspicious, call me." Team MDLN gave their confirmation before Lavender and Nikole split from the group, and Desmond approached the gate with his shield raised.

Laurel's eyes glowed yellow as she peered through the gate. "I see Red Claw in there," she noted. "...Not many of them. Only a few more than we have, actually."

Lazula narrowed her eyes. "Why aren't the Grimm attacking _them?_"

"They're attacking _us,_ and that's all that matters right now," Midas declared. His head snapped back to the gate. "More are coming."

A pair of Beowolves slammed into the gate, causing the entire front length of the fence to rattle. As one climbed over the top, Midas let fly with a blast from Resplendence, tearing a hole through the mesh of metal and the beast's stomach. The other continued over the top, its claws meeting Desmond's shield before Lazula stepped in to take care of it with ease.

By the time Mr. Verdi stepped up to slash through the gate's lock and chain with his impossibly sharp blades, a series of shouts from inside meant their cover was blown. Impetus and Aegis were the only thing separating Lazula from the Red Claw, and the droves of Grimm beginning to appear.

* * *

Back in the airship, Ichigo leaned into his laptop. Behind his glasses, which wore the reflection of his computer's glow, his eyes focused intently, and his brows stitched together. His satisfied smirk was replaced by a tight frown.

"Ichigo. Lazula and the rest just reached the gate. How are things on your end?" the Headmaster asked.

He sighed through his nose. "Not good."

"Not good?" Headmaster Skye repeated. "The airships are still in place, right?"

"They're still there, yeah. But when I try to make contact with them, there's zero response," he explained in frustration. "It wouldn't be hard to perform a remote override, but there's nothing _to_ override!"

The Headmaster was silent for a few seconds. "Do you know what the issue might be?"

"If I knew, I'd have solved it already," Ichigo returned. "Sorry. But I don't. If they had disabled the tracking devices, we wouldn't be able to see them at all. The systems are all active, but I can't access any of the internal processes."

"I see. Keep at it, and let us know if you're able to get in, or anything changes."

"Got it..." Ichigo replied.

* * *

With Mr. Verdi and Cascara taking the lead, Lazula and the rest pushed into the warehouse complex against a horde of Grimm and Red Claw. Midas had stayed at the gate with Desmond at his back, firing Resplendence into the pack of Beowolves. With every shot, another fell. Lazula slammed Aegis into the claw of an attacking Ursa, following up with a semblance-enhanced strike that cleaved its side open, and knocked the Beowolf behind it off its feet.

Laurel jumped onto the Ursa's chest before it disintegrated, using it as a foothold to reach the top of a shipping container. "Pretty sure they know we're here!" she shouted to her dad, the barrel and scope of Snake Eyes' rifle formation expanding. "_Now_ can I shoot?"

"Do it!"

Lazula heard a loud pop, and felt something small ram into her shield with a clang as she finished off the fallen Beowolf. Then again. The reality of the battle she fought washed over her as she saw a man with a rat's tail, close enough she could see the whites of his eyes, aiming a rifle at her head. Like the rest of his allies, he wore a black jacket ripped three times at the chest, and a half-face mask fashioned after the snarling jaws of a beast.

Cascara vaulted onto the hood of a forklift. She drew her bow and let fly toward the shooter, knocking the gun from his hand as cords whipped around his arm and secured it to his body. Within a second, the wires continued past his hand and down his legs, tying them together and immobilizing him completely. She swiped away the slash of a Beowolf before skewering its chest with her rapier twice, and continuing on to the faunus on the ground. She pressed a switch on her rapier's handle, and the cords retracted into its tip. As soon as he could fight the cords off himself, the man scrambled for his gun.

"Stay down," she commanded. The wire extended again from her rapier and shone yellow as it struck him, seizing his muscles with a jolt of lightning dust and causing him to slam back down to the pavement.

Lazula nodded to Cascara in acknowledgement, deciding to leave the Red Claw to her. The Grimm were mindless vessels of destruction, a foe she was more than happy to tear in two. She pressed forward with Snow beside her, before a vicious screech drew her attention.

Climbing over the roof of the warehouse was a massive arachnid, large enough to crush a car in its two mantis-like arms. Its legs were covered in jagged white spines, with more reaching up from its back to skewer the night sky. Eight beady red eyes flashed with a ravenous excitement. Lazula recognized it from her parents' stories as an Aracylla, a spider-like Grimm native to the deepest woods of Mistral.

It cleared dozens of feet as it jumped from the roof, splintering the parking lot and shaking the ground as it landed. Not even the Red Claw trusted to be near it.

"We've got more Ravagers coming," Mr. Verdi warned, appearing at her side. He glanced to the oversized bug. "I'll handle them, if you want to take care of that. Watch out for its webs, and try to attack from underneath, if you can."

Lazula turned to rally Snow, but she had already charged in on the Aracylla. Of all the Grimm she had encountered thus far, this one was the closest one to unnerving her. Perhaps it was the way its bulbous abdomen bounced with each skittering step, or the way its dagger-sized fangs twitched around its maw, chirping and clicking as it eyed her down.

Not to be outdone by her partner, Lazula took a breath and charged in.

The Aracylla backtracked as Snow approached, finally bringing in its bony forelegs as a shield and rearing back to strike at the huntress with its clawed arms. Snow flipped nimbly aside, transforming Absolute Zero into Configuration D, and cracking the whip at its eight glowing eyes. Its focus broken, Lazula swung Impetus upward, cleaving one of eight legs from its body. The monster screamed and reared back again, presenting its jet black underbelly. Lazula hardened herself as she ran under its fangs and between its legs, Impetus raised to strike.

A stinger the size of a traffic cone pointed at her, and let loose with a blast of web.

She managed to sidestep much of the attack but felt one of her boots knocked back, force threatening to sprain an ankle. She kicked and struggled for several seconds, but no matter how hard she pushed, the impossibly viscous ropes of liquid silk trapped her. Gritting her teeth and urging the ropes to let her free as the Aracylla turned to face her, she stabbed at them with Impetus.

It too became stuck.

Snow attempted to draw its attention with a pair of axe swings to the back. Though it twitched with each hit, the beast was far too focused. Lazula felt she would be sick as its eight glowing eyes neared her, and raised Aegis so she wouldn't have to see the tar-like liquid seeping between its quivering fangs.

Lazula heard another loud pop, and the Aracylla's head ripped to the side, the tar splattering across the pavement and half its eyes ruptured. Laurel stood at the edge of a shipping container, wrenching her rifle's lever and aiming a second shot.

Mr Verdi appeared near Lazula, firing a grappling hook into the chest of a Ravager that approached her from behind. He pulled it into both of its blades and decapitated the man-sized vampire bat. He winced as another let loose a sonic blast into his ears, but before the beast could sink its fangs into him, another shot rang out, and it dropped to the ground beside him.

"Nice shot," he complimented, looking up to his daughter.

"Thanks," Laurel acknowledged with a grin.

"Here, I should be able to get you out of this," Mr. Verdi offered. He pulled his blades through the spider's silk while it was focused on Snow, allowing Lazula to shake her foot and blade free.

Another shot rang out, and it met its mark in the Aracylla's side. The monster arachnid knocked Snow aside as it pivoted to face its annoyance, firing a web into the container Laurel stood on and flinging itself toward her.

Laurel swore as she dove from her position just before the creature's spined legs dented and pierced the steel with their weight. Springing back to her feet with a look of stern focus, Snow lashed at the spider with her whip, and secured a leg. She pulled it back toward her, and Lazula stepped in to meet it with Aegis.

Channeling near the full strength of her semblance, Lazula ignored the beast's casing of bone-hard armor, and ripped its abdomen in two.

She sheathed Impetus, breathing heavily and watching the spider decay into smoke.

Midas trotted up to her, Snow, and Mr. Verdi. "I think that's all of them. At least for now," he said.

Cascara appeared. "I've secured all the members of the Red Claw I could. Some were able to get away in the chaos."

Midas smiled. "I'm sure my team took care of them. We can take them in on the airships once we get them back."

"I don't remember the Headmaster letting you take the wheel," Mr. Verdi cut in.

Midas chuckled. "My bad, my bad. We get to take the ships back now though, right?"

Mr. Verdi nodded. "Cascara, come with me. The rest of you, take the main warehouse."

"Something's weird," Laurel decided as they approached the main door of the broken-down warehouse. Moths flitted around the only light above the door, casting shadows in the sickly green glow.

"What do you mean?" Lazula questioned.

"Cascara said some members of the Red Claw ran. There were only a handful to start with," she recalled. "I'm no terrorist, but you'd think they would try to defend stolen airships with a little more effort than that."

"The Grimm are all they have going for them," Midas assured with a shake of the head. "I've fought them before. It doesn't seem like they have much in the way of manpower. I'm surprised they were even able to take them in the first place."

Upon opening the door, Midas's smile faded. The cracked concrete floor was barren, apart from a few dilapidated shelves and a handful of various debris. On the far wall, three claw marks were painted in crimson, lit up by a spotlight.

Lazula's shoulders sunk, and her brow stitched. It didn't make any sense. Both her father and Ichigo had independently located the airships to be in the warehouse. Yet, there was nothing. Nothing beside those three red lines taunting her from the wall. She called Ichigo.

"...What's up?" he tiredly asked.

"Where are the airships?"

"What do you mean?" he questioned. "There should be one right in front of you."

She turned her Holoband's camera around, and scanned the warehouse. "Ichigo. There's nothing here."

"Oh, there's something alright," Midas grumbled, holding a piece of paper and a small husk of steel.

Lazula stepped toward him. What he held looked like a computer part, though she couldn't be sure what it was. As she neared, Midas held out the paper. Her eyes widened a bit as she read the slanted, off-cursive handwriting.

"Better luck next time!

-Python"

"Python..." Midas reflected. "That must be their leader's codename."

"And that must be the tracker_,_" Ichigo guessed through the screen. "They removed them, and baited us here to waste our time! I gotta go. I need to tell the Headmaster."

"Laurel," Mr. Verdi's voice called through her Holoband. "Did you find anything on your end?"

She shook her head. "No. Warehouse is empty. They left the trackers here!"

A sharp sigh from the other end. "This is going to be a problem."

The airship ride back to Sentinel was excruciatingly quiet. The city lights reflected in Lazula's stony glare, adding to the glimmering flecks already dancing within their hazel tone. There was no way around it- the mission was a failure. Whether they were led by "Python," or that bird faunus Moka had mentioned the previous day, the Red Claw still had all those airships, and all that dust. And while she had written them off before as a ragtag group of anarchists, they had made utter fools of Sentinel's intelligence network.

The whole time, they had been one step ahead.


	28. City of Tomorrow

Through Spring, the weather became warmer, and Port Cyrreine's signature grey sky broke open to reveal brilliant blue. After a couple more dates, Caspian and Cattleya became official. He knew over the Summer she'd return to Mistral, but he was determined to figure something out. Lazula continued her daily training, determined to keep up her undefeated streak over the course of the tournament. And, upon spending more time with Rowan, Snow, and Ichigo, and attending a handful of Round Table meetings, Moka had earned the venerated title of "Honorary Knight."

All since the mission had gone well, and uneventfully. Enough so that all unease about the Red Claw had been replaced by excitement around the Vytal Tournament.

The first day of June had rolled around. While the tournament was only a weekend away, something else was more pressing; the twins' birthday. Headmaster Skye had offered them and anyone they decided to invite an all-expenses paid trip into the city. There was no real itinerary, apart from an early dinner, and making it to the Vytal Tournament's press event by seven. Lazula would have rather spent the night of her birthday _anywhere_ besides surrounded by the media, being asked all the usual invasive questions as microphones were shoved into her mouth, but decided she'd enjoy herself as much as she could before then.

In the early afternoon, Lazula strolled up with her team to meet Caspian and his under the tinted glass awning of Sentinel's Link Station. No surprise, Noxis didn't come. Caspian had invited his new girlfriend instead, and Moka was joining them. Lazula would have rather flown across the bay, especially considering the traffic of all those coming to watch the tournament, but Caspian was set on taking the Link.

As she approached, her eyes were immediately drawn to Lilly. She hadn't seen the dress she wore before. It was white with a blue floral pattern, which matched the color of her floppy-brimmed hat perfectly. The dress was made of a material much lighter than her combat skirt, and showed a bit more skin. It was a nice outfit, and she wore it _really _well.

"Is something wrong?" Lilly asked, looking to Lazula with a hint of concern.

"Ah- no. It's nothing," Lazula assured.

"You were staring."

Lazula offered an awkward apology.

Lilly smirked. "I don't mind."

"_Did she just flirt with me?_" Lazula reflected. "_No. There's no way_." Still, Lazula entertained the thought for longer than she would have cared to admit as the group purchased their tickets, and boarded the Link.

Windows covered the walls and ceiling of each car, allowing the passengers to view the bay from the ocean floor. Sadly, anyone who wasn't a tourist quickly realized the idea was more interesting on paper than in practice. Often the ocean was too murky, or too dark to see anything besides a school of fish or two. Laurel swore she once saw a whale on her way to band practice, but her camera had all-too-conveniently frozen when she tried snapping a picture.

The group made their way through Port Cyrreine's main station, past the crowds that marvelled and took pictures of its curving walls of silver and black; and past the aquariums, vivid blue and filled with life that were woven deftly into its architecture. The station opened up into the busiest section of the city; a jungle of skyscrapers with storefronts on the forest floor, and along the forested walkways five stories up that stitched each building to the next. The walkways formed a park of sorts, families and couples lounging on benches and under trees between the asphalt road below and hard-light airship rails above.

No matter how many times Caspian saw the city, he still had to pause to take it all in.

One of the many holographic advertisements floating within the steel-and-glass jungle depicted a woman pulling a ham from the oven, and placing it on the dinner table before a smiling family. The hologram faded and was replaced with the symbol of Frontline Biomedical, and two short sentences.

"The Third Generation. The closest thing to family."

After a few minutes of exploring, Caspian felt a pull at his elbow. "Can we stop in there?" Cattleya asked, indicating the floating sign of a jewelry store up ahead.

"We're gonna pop in there for a bit," Caspian declared. "We'll catch up."

"Anything we can do for you?" an employee in a luxurious dress asked. Her glimmering necklace jingled with each step toward the couple.

"Ah, we're just looking, thanks!" Caspian returned.

The employee followed them as they continued through the store. She probably wasn't used to kids in a store like this. Well, technically not kids _anymore_, as it was his eighteenth birthday. It still didn't seem like a place many eighteen year-olds would shop. Every surface appeared to shimmer in the light like the diamonds they sold.

"Oh wow, look at this one," Cattleya said, her eyes reflecting the glimmer of a silver necklace.

"It _is_ really nice," Caspian acknowledged. He smirked as he put his arm around her. "Your birthday is coming up soon, isn't it?" he hinted.

"I'll be in Mistral," she contended.

"I can fly over," Caspian offered. "I'll get your gift to you, don't worry."

Cattleya turned to the woman behind them. "How many of these do you have in stock?"

"Oh, that one?" the woman asked. She stepped forward, raising her Holoband to the tag. Caspian got a glimpse at its staggering price. "Looks like that's our last one. It's popular!"

Cattleya turned to Caspian, grasping his hand.

Caspian looked to her. She looked back with puppy-dog eyes, the ones that could make him do just about anything. He _did_ have the money. The necklace would look good on Cattleya, and it would be a shame if it sold out before he could get his hands on it.

"We'll take it."

"Caaaas!" Caspian heard as soon as he left the store and returned to the heat of the day. Moka jogged up to him with a smile and a bag in her hand. She held it out. "This is for you! Happy birthday!"

"Oh- for me?" Caspian stammered. "Thanks!" Caspian glanced to Cattleya, still smiling. She didn't return his enthusiasm.

As Moka watched Caspian reach into the bag, she began to bounce with caffeine-augmented excitement. He pulled out a pair of knit blue socks, with the city's skyline in black.

"I remember a couple of weeks ago you mentioned you collect socks, so I thought about you when I found these ones! Hope you like them!"

"I do!" Caspian returned with a smile. "Thank you!"

Moka stepped forward to hug Caspian, pulling away after a few seconds.

"Kay. Let's catch up with everyone else," Cattleya decided, eyes flashing to Moka sternly.

* * *

Caspian was surprised by how far the rest managed to get. Lazula, Lilly, and Laurel had stopped inside a bakery, while the rest were across the street in a store stocked to the brim with the newest in electronics and games. Though the three girls were apparently waiting on a batch of macaroons, Rowan, Snow, and Ichigo came out of their store with two bags each, and were ready to continue their exploration of the city.

The raised walkways wrapped around the street corner, opening up to a view of the bay. Caspian could see Sentinel's libraries and classroom building across the water, as well as the tower he knew his dad sat within. And, past Seacrest Bridge, the Headquarters of Frontline Biomedical.

"Oh, that reminds me!" Ichigo chimed in. "The guy in there mentioned Griswold Baine is holding a speech in the city in a bit! He's gonna leak the third gens' release date!"

Moka's tail slumped. "...Can we miss that one?"

"No way, this is huge!" Ichigo pleaded. "The BCS of the third gen Organds are some of the most complex computational devices in the _world!_ The AI systems on those things are gonna be mindblowing!"

"I _am_ curious to see just how lifelike they are," Caspian added. "Usually you can kinda tell when someone's an Organd, but a couple times recently I haven't been able to until I saw 'Frontline' on their chest."

"Okay, I'll go..." Moka ceded. She perked up, focusing on something over Caspian's shoulder. "_If _I can stop in that coffee shop real quick! I've never been to one down here, just look at the view!"

"You downed an entire large on the way to the station!" Rowan pointed out.

"It only had five shots of espresso! And that was like... over an hour ago!"

"That makes me wonder," Rowan began. "The lines at the coffee shops on campus are all stupid long during the morning. How do you stand waiting in those things like... seven times a day?"

"I'm so glad you asked!" Moka replied, proudly pointing a finger in the air. "See, I've devised a little system. Half an hour before they close at night, which is nine o'clock for most of them, I go to the store and ask for two large iced coffees. At that point in the night, they're usually just about to dump the iced coffee anyway, so depending on the person they might just give them to you for free. You take 'em on up to your mini-fridge, and _BAM!_ Enough coffee to last you until like, two maybe?"

"I think that much coffee in a day would kill me..." Caspian responded. Moka laughed.

Cattleya cleared her throat. "I'll go in too, actually."

"Oh, then I'll come as well," Caspian decided. "I'll pay!"

Her hand broke free of his. "No. Why don't you spend some time with your friends?"

Caspian watched with a hint of confusion as Moka stepped away with Cattleya just behind her. They didn't talk as they left, and Caspian knew, as much as he liked both Moka and Cat, they didn't get along all too well. He innocently hoped Cattleya wanted some bonding time with her partner.

Snow appearing at his side took his mind off the two. He could see the slight smile on her face.

"Do you want to take a picture with me?" she asked. "I would like to take a picture with you."

Caspian glanced over to Cattleya. He couldn't see her anymore. "Yeah, sure!" he agreed. The two stood by the railing, and Snow unclipped her Holoband to transform it to a tablet, and turn the camera around to the two of them. Caspian guided her hand for a few seconds, finding an angle that showed the school behind them.

He smiled, and the picture took.

Snow looked down to it, apparently satisfied. "It turned out well. Thank you."

As the glass doors to the bright and airy café slid open, Cattleya pulled Moka aside. Her brow furrowed as she leaned in. "Moka. Can you tone it down a bit?"

Moka cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

"I mean with the hug, and you got Caspian a gift," Cattleya accused. She looked her over, then swept her hand up and down dramatically. "And just look at the way you're dressed!"

Moka looked down to her tank top and low-rise shorts. "I don't see anything wrong with my outfit," she defended. "It's hot out today."

Cattleya shook her head. "You've told me _plenty_ about your mom. I know you're out for money, but his friends are pretty well-off too, so can you back off?"

"What?! It's not like that at all!"

"Then what _is_ it like?" Cattleya prodded, her impatience boiling over into irritation. "Why else would you hang out with them?"

"I happen to like those guys!" Moka snapped. She focused on the door as she passed her partner. "Now, if you'll excuse me. I'm going to buy some coffee."

* * *

After an hour or two of exploring downtown, Caspian, Lazula and the rest boarded the Link once again, bound for Frontline's Headquarters. The talk was to take place just outside the company's campus, a series of beautiful gardens nestled between the two colossal skyscrapers and the white shell encasing them, for security reasons.

The park outside was nice enough. The few structures that surrounded it, not counting Frontline's titans, were small compared to buildings in the rest of the city, and rather attractive. A team of Organds ensured the park was always clean, with its flowerbeds and walkways well-maintained, and its grass emerald green. The group settled into the crowd that had already begun to form around a stage in the park's center.

"A lot of people came to this thing, huh?" Rowan asked. Caspian turned to reply, but saw he spoke to a girl about their age, straight lavender hair falling neatly to her shoulders. She wore a jacket. Odd, Caspian thought. He was uncomfortable in his button-down and shorts. He couldn't imagine wearing a jacket in this heat.

"Yeah, there's quite a crowd, isn't there?" she answered.

"He probably chose to announce it on the day everyone would be in the city on purpose," Rowan figured. "Are you from around here, or are you just in town for the tournament?"

"I'm from nearby."

"Yeah, same here!" Rowan continued. He puffed out his chest. "I go to Sentinel, actually."

"Sentinel? How exciting!"

Rowan chuckled. "Yeah, you could say that. We've actually had a few run-ins with the Grimm this year. Oh by the way, what's your name?"

When a tall, broad-shouldered man with a bald head and a salt-and-pepper beard across his broad chin strode to the stage, the crowd went wild. Rowan pursed his lips, as the man's presence had interrupted his progress.

He let the crowd cheer for some time as three men and three women, all dressed in the typical uniform of Organic Androids, took the stage to his sides. "Thank you, thank you!" he began. If it was an attempt to quell the crowd, it didn't work. The uproar began anew with increased fervor. "I'm glad to see everyone is as excited to be here today as I am!"

To Lazula's side, Moka balled her fist. Her face held a marked lack of her typical smile.

"When I lost my father nine years ago, then my eldest son Onyx just a month later, both to a sudden, preventable illness, I felt lost. In the depths of that darkness I was faced with a choice. I could have lost faith, and I could have withered away. But instead, I found my purpose. I pledged to continue my father's legacy, becoming a paragon of care and living up to the company's name, becoming the Front Line against illness and suffering."

"So long as someone can afford that care..." Moka muttered.

"Long have I worked in tandem with the most talented doctors and scientists this world has to offer, and now, I can proudly announce the next generation of Organic Androids are just a few months away!"

Caspian's ears nearly split from the cheer of the crowd.

"While the current generation has seen increased use within the public sphere, the next generation is tailored to use within the home." Griswold Baine held a hand out to his side. Each android beside him took on a different emotion, from an ecstatic grin, to a look of dejection, to disgust. "As the next generation is to work so closely with humans, their emotional mimicry is far improved over the second generation. We've also improved their AI systems, in order to give their mind the flexibility our critics say can only be found within humanity itself. This advancement in simulated cognition makes the third generation perfect for the care of young children and the elderly, and even for something so simple as companionship. It truly seems as if each 'Organd' has its own personality, though of course their internal coding will continue to be strictly regulated."

The crowd was starstruck. Ichigo's eyes sparkled behind his glasses, and his Holoband joined the chorus of clicks as he took a dozen pictures of the stage in half as many seconds.

"If you're skeptical of just how realistic the next generation will be, allow me to demonstrate!" Griswold said. He held a hand out, and Caspian heard a shuffling from within the crowd, before an excited chatter took its place.

"Whaat?!" Rowan blurted.

Caspian looked to the side to see the girl Rowan was attempting to woo had unzipped her jacket, and underneath wore the uniform of an Organd. Laurel looked as if she were about to drop to the floor in laughter.

"I just flirted with an android!" Rowan lamented.

"Honestly, I don't blame you," Caspian joked.

Cattleya prodded him.

"-Because she looks so normal! I didn't mean anything else!"

Above the crowd's awe, Griswold continued. "There has been much talk of a release date, but now, I can say with certainty. The third generation of Organic Androids will be available for sale on October first!"


	29. Red Carpet

Tuxedos and gowns filled the seats of every table in the luxurious waterfront ballroom. The Vytal Tournament's opening ceremony, the live-streamed gala complete with interviews, speeches, and all sorts of formalities, was about to start. Golden pillars supported an ornate marble roof of white and gold several stories above. Two layers of horseshoe-shaped grand balconies extruded from above the main door to the hall, opposing a velvet curtain that hid the stage. A red carpet ran between the stage and the doors to split the sea of guests and cameras in two.

The event was exceedingly lavish, even for Lazula's tastes.

The voices of all the tournament's participants coalesced into a low rumble in the preparatory room. The front doors opened, and for a second Lazula froze. The eyes of thousands of spectators she was used to. She thrived in their gaze, even. But she hadn't quite prepared for keeping up a public image as cameras and reporters closed in on her like a pack of Beowolves. Luckily, it was just Midas returning from a speech at the stage. He waved, and walked over.

"How'd your speech go? I got here late, just now managed to change," Lazula greeted. Like all other members of the top teams, she wore her combat attire instead of formal wear.

"Not bad. They called me '_Sentinel's Heartthrob_' this year, though."

Lazula chuckled. "_Sentinel's Heartthrob?_" she repeated.

"You definitely got the cooler nickname," Midas acknowledged. "They called me the 'Golden Boy' last year. I would have preferred _that_, even." He shrugged. "I'm not quite sure why they're still making such a big deal out of me. It's no secret you're the stronger one."

"You're more marketable," Lazula stated. "You actually like these kinds of events."

"We're backstage, just minutes before the Opening Ceremony to the 60th Vytal Tournament!" Lazula heard from behind her. She grit her teeth as she felt a hand on her shoulder. "We're here with The Indomitable Girl herself, Lazula Skye, for an exclusive interview!"

"Who let you in the prep room?"

The reporter ignored her question, and a bulky camera shoved Snow from beside her. A microphone dangled just inches from her face. "Are the rumors true, that you and Midas are the Academy League's newest power couple?!"

"We're the _what?_" Lazula recoiled. "No! Absolutely not!"

"We've heard word of the two of you spending quite a bit of time training together!" the reporter continued to prod. Had Lazula not been thoroughly irritated, she would have admired the woman's bravery.

"We spar. That's all."

"Hold on, Viola," the microphone-holder interrupted. He adjusted his headphones. "We're not picking anything up from your mic."

The cameraman heaved the equipment off his shoulder, and started adjusting a dial on the side with a look of confusion on his face. "Yeah. The camera cut out too."

"Oh- okay," Viola, the reporter, stumbled. She raised her Holoband up to her chin. "Looks like we're having some technical difficulties. We'll get back to you all as soon as we can!"

"Lucky break..." Lazula muttered as the news crew wandered off.

Sitting at the wall a few feet away and striking the keys of his laptop, Ichigo flashed a thumbs up.

"

...Without further ado, we now kick off the Opening Ceremony of the 60th annual Vytal Tournament!" the once-muffled voice from the main hall announced with sudden clarity. The doors had opened.

"Team LSLI?" a suited man addressed. "Please, line up next to the door."

Lazula sighed, waving Ichigo toward the rest of her team. "Alright. Let's get this over with."

Her team was ushered to the wall, next to a handful of others in their combat attire. Midas's team, as well as the four who took second place the year before, stood before the door. She didn't recognize the team behind her, apparently led by the young man in black, with countless thin silver belts crossing his body. His hair matched the color of his outfit. It was styled up and pulled back to a point, with a lock of hair draping down over his forehead.

"Lazula Skye..." he assessed. His steely eyes didn't match his forming smirk.

Lazula's eyes narrowed. "Who are you?" she returned.

"You'll find out soon enough."

"The moment you've all been waiting for, the walking in of top participants!" the announcer declared. The room burst into cheer, and Team MDLN was ushered onto the red carpet. "Now give a warm welcome to last year's winners, Midas Baine and Team MDLN, of Sentinel!"

Lazula couldn't see into the main hall, but judging by the noise, the crowd had gone feral.

The next four approached the hall. The towering team leader's long mane of silver hair contrasted with his skin and all-black outfit. Lazula knew he was Kiran Ardanne, from Haven. Instead of mastering a single weapon, his semblance allowed him full manipulation of hard-light, and he crafted them on the fly. Following him was a lanky boy in blue and white, a pair of bat ears jutting out of his unruly spikes of sky blue hair. His eyes were milky white, and he looked to no one in particular as he neared the stage. '_The Blind Sniper,_' Lazula recognized. The tournament last year made a big deal out of him. She also recalled the next girl, who looked far too short and petite to wield the massive flaming hammer she called her weapon. Last, a tall and lean woman in cream colored robes, tightened around her waist by a belt of fabric. It and her short cloak matched her dark brown hair cropped short and neat, bangs sweeping down the side of her narrow face.

"Next up, last year's runners-up are back for revenge! Give it up for Kiran Ardanne and Team KRAT!"

Another wave of cheer, and Lazula approached the door.

"Next up, the rookies to watch!" the announcer continued. "The near-unstoppable team from Sentinel, led by The Indomitable Girl herself! Lazula Skye and Team LSLI!"

"_Unstoppable_," Lazula reflected. As much as the wall of flashing lights on either side aggravated her, she didn't mind the introduction. Plus, Lazula couldn't help but notice the cheer was loudest for her and her team. She felt a smile bubbling up under the surface.

As she took her place next to last year's top two, she watched as the last team paraded down the carpet.

"And finally, the dark-horse team making waves in Atlas! Welcome in Sterling Platton, and Team STLG!" First was the boy in black. Sterling, apparently. Behind him, a tall and haughty looking young woman with bushy green hair, wearing a grey tweed jacket and a newsboy cap tilted down over her gaze of disapproval. A young man with a dignified look and a well kept goatee followed, snow leopard tail and brown ponytail trailing behind his silk robes of maroon and black. The outfits of the first three were drowned out by the vibrance of the last woman's gown. She followed in a patterned green, red and gold gomesi, drawing a horde of cameras to her side as she strode to the stage.

Next, after Lazula had to stand on the stage against a wall of cameras, were interviews. The host and her accompanying cameraman started with the woman in the vivid gown opposite Sterling, working their way up the team. When Sterling's turn came, screens around the hall flickered on to show his highlights from past tournaments. Lazula had to admit he was quick- quick enough she couldn't quite tell what his weapons were. It looked as if he fought with a dozen straight blades, whipping around his body like a honed liquid in an onslaught few could keep up with.

"Sterling. This will be your first appearance in the Vytal Tournament. What would you say you're looking forward to most?" the host asked. The microphone prompted his answer.

"Well, I'd personally like to knock the Indomitable Girl down a peg. An undefeated contender gets stale after a while, wouldn't you agree?"

"Ooooh!" the host replied, joining the crowd in their excitement. "Lazula has had incredible showings in her last several tournaments, and many consider her to be the strongest in the Academy League. Do you think you have what it takes to beat her?"

Sterling nodded. "She may be the strongest hunt_ress,_ but I think I've still got her beat."

Laurel leaned in. "Who is that guy?" she murmured.

"Apparently he's won a few smaller tournaments up in Atlas, and naturally his sights are set on me," Lazula sneered. "He isn't the first, and probably won't be the last."

"So you've said you have your sights set on Lazula, whose dominating performance in previous tournaments is largely due to the strength of her semblance," the host continued. "Does lacking a semblance make you feel uneasy about facing her? Most would agree you're at a disadvantage."

"I'm not worried. Without a semblance, my victories are the result of pure skill." His accompanying shrug and self-approving smirk made Lazula's blood boil.

"Well there you have it, everyone! Give it up for Team STLG!"

"_All this cheer will be for me soon enough_," Lazula anticipated.

"And now moving onto Team LSLI. Let's start with you!"

Ichigo froze up at the microphone, then smiled sheepishly. "I'm just here to fill up the fourth spot. It's them you should be interviewing," he said.

"Well, I'm sure you're all excited to be on the premier Academy League stage!" the host turned the microphone to Laurel. "What are you most excited for?"

"My concert! My band Pit Viper will be playing on the second night of team matches, 7pm in Lot B!" Laurel proudly announced, her golden viper eyes flashing with excitement.

"Oh! And what kind of sound can we expect from you?"

"Our sound is unique but the best way I can describe it is a hybrid between old-school punk rock and thrash metal. Pretty hardcore stuff! Admission is free so anyone can come!"

"And how do you balance training for the Vytal Tournament and your concert?" the host prodded.

"Honestly, I just sink as much time as I can into each, and whatever's left is for school," Laurel replied. She laughed. "I don't have much free time!"

"Well, I certainly admire your drive!" the microphone moved onto Snow. "As Lazula's partner, you probably see a whole different side of her than the rest of us. What kind of person is she, behind the scenes?"

"She's my friend."

"...I see," the host said, after waiting a few seconds for elaboration. "Well, what kind of friend is she?"

"She's a good friend."

"Got it. This is going to be your team's first tournament, what kind of emotions are you feeling right now?"

Snow paused. "...Lazula wants to win, so I want to help her."

"Well, your team is one of the top contenders!" the host supported. "Are you excited for the tournament?"

"Excited..." Snow reflected. "I suppose."

"Onto the 'Indomitable Girl' herself! You've gone 12-0 in Junior League tournaments, and you've never _once_ lost a sanctioned match. Quite a few people are watching your transition into the Academy League closely, but some don't think you're ready for the increase in skill level between leagues. What do you have to say to them?"

"Those people haven't been watching me very closely then. I don't intend to lose," Lazula answered sternly. The crowd had gone silent entirely, apart from some excited outbursts of hoots and cheers. "I'm going to keep up my undefeated streak through all four years at Sentinel Academy."

The crowd's silence vanished with an excited rumble. "That's a lofty promise!" the host replied. "Sterling Platton had something to say about you earlier. Do you have any words for him?"

"I'd rather settle things in a match," Lazula said. "He's talked himself up a lot, I just hope for his sake he has the skills to back up what he said."

The excited rumble crescendoed into applause and cheer, and Lazula smirked into the camera. For how much disdain she held for the media, she knew exactly how to work up an audience.

The event dragged on longer than Lazula cared to stay. After some speeches, an out-of-place musical performance, and an intermission, the one event Lazula looked forward to began- the announcement of first-round matches. A screen displayed in front of the stage, four blank spots near the top, and four blank spots near the bottom. The faces of various challengers appeared on both sides, accompanied by the eager chatter of those the screen showed.

Finally, Lazula saw her own team.

Below her face were the chiseled features of Kiran Ardanne, along with the rest of Team KRAT. She smirked. For her big debut in the Academy League, she would be against the team that nearly took it all the year before.

* * *

**Note: KRAT is pronounced Karat, and STLG is, unsurprisingly, pronounced as Sterling.**


	30. The Big Debut

**Note: I made a slight oops in the last chapter. I noted that this was the 105th** _**annual**_ **Vytal Festival, when it turns out in RWBY the festival is held every 2 years. So, if 80 years passed in RWBY since the Great War, the Vytal Festival in the show was the 40th. Let's just say after that disaster they stopped for a few years, then held it every year after Salem's defeat, making this the 60th one. This change really only affects the few of you who read the last chapter early, but I thought I'd clear it up.**

* * *

The cheer of Sentinel Stadium echoed through the concrete halls below, arriving deep in the locker rooms as an indistinct clamor. Lazula tightened the strap on her boot, then sat on the bench with her head bowed. Her Academy League debut was about to start. Victory, proving she was top of the League, was the only possibility in her mind. She attempted to clear even that thought. Despite her confidence, she knew the clashing of steel would come first, and she couldn't get ahead of herself. But the noise from the stadium- _that damn noise- _kept interrupting her brief meditation.

Cutting through the cacophony, she began to hear a voice.

"Hello, to everyone watching across Remnant!" the announcer greeted. "For those of you late to the party, I'm Dustyn Brown-"

"And I'm Ezelia Brown!"

"Right! And we'll be the hosts for the 60th Vytal Tournament! There are just a few minutes before the very first match between Team LSLI of Sentinel, and Team KRAT of Haven!"

"Let us run down the tournament's format one more time, for those of you slow on the uptake," Mrs. Brown announced.

"That was _not_ in the script."

"Safety parameters are set at the Academy League standard of 15%! These first matches will be team-against-team. Age and year are irrelevant! This is a single elimination tournament, meaning any team that loses is out! The winners of each match will elect two fighters to move on to the next wave of two-on-two matches! For both of these rounds, the stadium will take on two randomized biomes to spice things up a bit!"

"Thirty-two teams will enter the two-on-two round, but there will be only sixteen winners. These sixteen will elect one fighter of the two to proceed onto the one-on-one matches. The terrain of the arena will disappear, and all that matters will be skill as they work their way up to the Vytal Tournament Championship match!"

"Our match is about to begin," Snow reminded. "Are you ready?"

Lazula looked up to the partner she hadn't heard coming, and nodded once. "Yeah. Just about."

"I've never fought in a tournament before," Snow noted. "What is it like?"

"I imagine it can be stressful," Lazula replied. She exhaled the slightest laugh. "You don't seem like the type to get stressed out though, are you?"

"Not really."

"Well, good." Lazula stood up, and strapped Aegis to her arm. "Everyone's going to be fighting their hardest out there. Just do the same, and we'll be alright."

Snow nodded. "Understood."

Lazula stepped to the entrance, but turned to Snow once again before leaving. "When we win, I want you to be my partner for the next round."

* * *

"We're certainly going to start off on a high note for this year's Vytal Festival Tournament!" Mr. Brown announced. "Our first match is between Team KRAT of Haven, and Team LSLI, of Sentinel!"

"I can feel the excitement of the audience from all the way up here!" Mrs. Brown added. "I don't blame 'em. LSLI and KRAT are two of this year's top seeded teams! I have no doubt this match is gonna have us all on the edge of our seats!"

Lazula took a deep breath. Opposite her team in the center of the stadium was Team KRAT. The massive screen above them displayed each contestant's picture. Between them, two boxes shuffled through the image of each possible arena biome.

It eventually settled on two. One was a broken-down city. Its shells of old buildings and rusted-out cars reminded Lazula of Sentinel's own practice grounds. The other was a horseshoe of rugged stone around a barren grassland peppered with a few dying trees, the platforms of basalt establishing a makeshift set of stairs up to the mountain's peak. The center of the stadium remained as the city rose up behind Team LSLI, and the mountain behind Team KRAT.

The two biomes settled into place, and the rumbling beneath Lazula's feet stopped. Contestant names and aura levels appeared to replace the biomes on screen.

"I'll take Kiran," Lazula decided. "Rigel will probably take off onto the mountain. Laurel, find a place in the city to take him on from a distance. If my memory of last year's tournament is correct he's a good shot, so be careful."

"Gotcha," Laurel confirmed with a thumbs-up.

Ichigo fidgeted with Hack n' Slash. "...What should I do?"

"We'll see what they do from there, and I'll decide," Lazula said. Ichigo looked less than reassured. Plans were never her strong suit, after all. Her main strategy was always to run into the enemy, and hit them harder than they hit her. It had worked every time so far.

The cheer breaking from the indistinct wall of heads and flashing lights surrounding the stadium picked up, then began to come in short, coordinated bursts. Only after five of these bursts did Lazula realize why.

"FIVE! FOUR! THREE!"

She took a deep breath, and drew Impetus from its sheath. Its familiar silver blade glinted with the light of the sun.

"TWO! _ONE!_"

As soon as the buzzer began to blare, Lazula raised Aegis and charged into the enemy team. She kept her sword at her side and eyes just above the top of her shield, anticipating Kiran's choice of hard-light weapon.

"No ya don't!" Aureylia interjected. Lazula's eyes snapped to the side, and saw nothing but the broad edge of a flaming hammer crashing toward her like a meteor. She turned on her heels last minute to block the blow. Its energy was almost too much for Lazula to channel.

_Almost._

She shouted, twisting and cleaving the air between herself and Kiran. Her blade gleamed as it heralded a reckless gale. Lazula's eyes narrowed and flicked between her opponents. Kiran had tumbled out of the way, hair whipping behind him in the gust. He remained kneeling, holding his hands out at his sides. The sleeves of his black glowed spectral blue, and two hard-light submachine guns formed in his hands. Aureylia had been knocked off balance, and used her hammer to steady herself. The gust was left to tear through the barren land, shredding the dirt and rattling the scraggly tree branches above.

Light flashed from her left, and Lazula raised her shield against a hail of dust bullets. Kiran ran around to her back, fingers intent on his guns' triggers. Aureylia came in from behind with a sideways swing. Lazula ducked under just in time and swept her opponent's legs out from under her. The energy from Kiran's shots and the connection between Lazula's boot and Aureylia's ankles wasn't much, but Lazula channeled what she could into a downward jab.

Aureylia laid on the ground clutching her stomach. It wasn't enough to eliminate her just yet, but it was enough to throw her off for a bit.

Kiran abandoned his pistols for a longer-range rifle. The shots were easy enough to block, but Lazula heard another. A thunderous crack that split her ears instead of the high-pitched twang of energy rounds.

She felt a sudden, vicious pain in her shoulder, enough to make her stumble back and clench her teeth to suppress a scream. The culprit, a steaming bullet the size of her little finger, dropped to the ground.

"Oh-hoh! Rigel Potera landing the first of what I'm sure will be many shots!" Mr. Brown called out.

"But look at that! Her aura holds at 90%!" Mrs. Brown added. "How is that even _possible?!_"

Still gritting her teeth and clutching her shoulder, Lazula's eyes met Snow's, then Ichigo's. She flicked her head toward the sniper before continuing her fight against KRAT's leader. Snow nodded, and sprinted toward the mountains. Ichigo looked to Lazula, then to Snow, finally following the white-haired huntress with sudden realization.

"Tira! Stop them!" Kiran commanded. The last teammate, the slender woman wielding some kind of double-edged glaive, nodded and took off on their heels. At the edge of the mountain biome, she whipped her staff around with dramatic flair, working up a gust of wind and slinging it toward Ichigo and Snow. Ichigo lost his footing and stumbled into an edge of basalt, losing a bit of aura. Snow tumbled once, before correcting her footing and digging Absolute Zero into the ground at her feet to keep traction. Once the wind settled, she transformed her weapon into Configuration B, and let fly with a volley of dust pellets.

Tira held her ground, whirling her weapon in front of herself to whip up another wind. Each of Snow's shots was lost to the breeze and flung toward Kiran, extending his hard-light blade as he locked in relentless combat with Lazula.

Ichigo ran forward with Hack n' Slash in hatchet form, but was quickly parried and lashed aside by Tira's glaive. Absolute Zero's two barrels folded into one and flattened, forming Configuration A. Snow looked to Tira, then the top of the mountain. The light retracted into her weapon's handle, and she began to spring up the steps.

Another crack from the mountaintop.

"Ohh! And Ichigo Kurayami is eliminated by aura level!" Mr. Brown announced. "Another killer shot by the Blind Sniper!"

"Ichi!? Damn, I'm too late..." Laurel muttered, finally reaching the window of a decrepit mid-rise, the back half of which had fallen away. She swept an inch-thick layer of dust off the floor with her boot, and mounted her rifle on the windowsill. Her eyes glowed yellow.

"Now, then... where are you?" she grumbled. "Too many damn people in this stadium, can't see a thing."

Her eyes narrowed and she covered an ear.

"And what the hell is that noise?"

The wall just next to the window exploded into a cloud of splinters and concrete shards. Laurel ducked, shielding her eyes from the shrapnel before looking up to assess the damage. Much of her cover was gone, but her eyes settled on a concrete pillar about a dozen feet back. It had begun to crack, courtesy of the small crater that hadn't been there when Laurel found the spot.

Her satisfaction was fleeting. She winced suddenly and her eyes flicked up as another shot rang out, and she hit the floor. A second bullet smashed into the pillar where she stood a split second prior. She eyed the two craters one last time, and lined up a shot.

"Laurel Verdi fires back!" Mrs. Brown cheered. "That was a close one!"

She ducked down and crawled to another window, holding a hand to one of her ears. "That damn noise again..." she muttered. The second she peeked around the side of the wall, a third shot screamed through the air dangerously close to her head.

"Another close one!" Mr. Brown announced. "While Snow and Lazula duke it out against KRAT close up, a long-distance war is being fought between Laurel and Rigel!"

Laurel peeked once again, but the shot came even quicker this time. She pulled back, breathing out in frustration. As the noise filled the room once again- that high-pitched drone imperceptible to human ears- Laurel drew one of two pistols strapped at her hip, and fired into the ceiling.

At the peak of the mountain, Rigel flinched, dropping his gun and covering his faunus ears. A second blast rang out through the arena.

"And Laurel Verdi comes out on top!" Mrs. Brown cheered. "In one shot, Rigel Potera has been defeated!"

"But Laurel's fight isn't over yet!" Mr. Brown reminded. "It looks like Aureylia of KRAT is coming for her!"

Snow leapt up to another precipice just as Laurel's shot landed. She paused for a second, watching as her target fell to the ground with nearly-depleted aura. She turned back to her pursuer, and produced Configuration A's blade. Tira whirled her glaive and rose to meet Snow on a gust of wind. Absolute Zero flashed as their blades struck, and Snow pushed back. Tira gained her footing just an inch from the thirty-foot drop, and the two began to dance around each other on the platform just big enough for the two of them.

An overhead swing from Snow caught Tira's weapon at the base of its blade, locking into place. Tira detached the other half of her weapon, spinning it on one hand as she transformed it into a rifle and fired. Snow stumbled back as the pair of shots struck her, and Tira followed with a reckless slash.

Snow recovered faster than Tira must've expected. She pushed the strike back and threw her opponent off with a vicious axe swing, landing another to fling her off the edge. Tira landed feet-first on the next platform down with a well-placed whirlwind. Snow followed her down.

Tira raised her weapon to counter the axe boring down on her like a guillotine, but the force was too much. Her arms gave way, and Snow struck from shoulder to hip.

"That's it for Tira Missoux!" Mrs. Brown stated. "Team LSLI has the advantage, three against two!"

Another buzzer sounded as a building inside the broken city collapsed into a cloud of smoke. Aureylia stepped out of the rubble with a grin, slinging her hammer over her shoulder.

"...Make that two on two!" Mr. Brown corrected. "Laurel Verdi is eliminated by aura level!"

"What are they teaching you kids at Sentinel?" Tira questioned, pushing herself to a kneel and clutching her chest.

Snow looked down to Tira with her usual void of expression.

"How to fight."

She hopped down to the next platform on her way back to Lazula.

Lazula kept Team KRAT's leader occupied as Snow rushed in from behind. At the last second before she cleaved across his back, Lazula's strike was knocked away, and Kiran turned on his heel. He raised a hand to the blade of Snow's axe, and the light began to glitch and morph around it. He grabbed the hard-light shaft of Absolute Zero, and the light spiraled down the handle, entrapping Snow's arm.

He stepped in toward Lazula, flinging her own partner at her.

Energy swelled in Lazula's arms as Snow planted her feet on Aegis, and she flung her high above Kiran. Snow's dust whip was countered as well, taken into Kiran's sleeve and fired off as a blast of concentrated energy. She took it into Aegis, but was flung back toward the head of Aureylia's hammer. A parry, duck, and jab later, Aureylia was back on the ground.

"Snow, deal with her!" Lazula commanded.

Kiran took her split second of distraction to his benefit. He stretched an arc of hard-light to form a glowing polearm, making the most of his full foot of height advantage over his foe. Lazula blocked his first strike then turned to lash out with Impetus, but both her first swing and her next were blocked by the shaft of his weapon. She ducked under his wild slash, striking a third time with a vengeance. At the moment her blade once again met the shaft of his weapon, she channeled the force behind the clash into her own attack, and shattered the polearm into a diamond dust of light.

Aureylia wielded her hefty warhammer with surprising speed, twirling the shaft of her weapon like a baton to block Snow's vigorous series of strikes. As Snow pulled back, her foe went on the offensive with an overhead smash. Snow sidestepped the attack just before it shattered the pavement at her feet, transforming her weapon to Configuration D and wrapping her luminous whip around the block of solid iron Aureylia called her weapon. Snow planted her heel and swung with all her might, flinging the hammer's head deep into the city.

The shaft didn't follow.

Aureylia struck Snow with one end of what was now a staff of flaming steel, then spun it to strike from the other side. Snow recoiled and held her head, and suddenly took a brutal blow to the back, chunking her aura by over 20%. Aureylia grinned as the head of her hammer returned on a steel cord. She wound up her attack in a plume of fire as Snow stumbled forward, and she struck as if driving a golf ball.

A hard-light sickle locked with Aegis, and Lazula winced as she heard a buzzer sound.

"And that brings us to two-on-one!" Mr. Brown announced. "Could the Indomitable Girl be caught in a corner?"

Lazula wrenched her shield upward and slashed at Kiran's sickle to disengage. She looked to Kiran on one side, Aureylia on the other. She hadn't beaten Kiran yet, and he had managed to whittle her aura down to around 70%, which on its own said enough about his skill. Aureylia had taken out both Laurel and Snow.

She took a deep breath. She couldn't afford to hold back anymore.

She returned to Kiran with a determined flicker in her eye, crashing into him with all the force she could muster at Aegis's tip. He formed a shield, which splintered into a hail of spears as a shockwave burst from between the two of them.

Lazula's eyes flicked around as she backtracked, blocking and lashing at each fragment of dust. She leapt back at Kiran, who formed another polearm between his hands and lashed out. She narrowly avoided two jabs before she heard Aureylia's knight-like armor clinking behind her. With Aegis's help, she deflected the hammer to the side, following up with a shield bash and a kick back. She returned to Kiran, parrying his swipe and replying with a semblance-enhanced jab.

She spun around, switching up to meet Aureylia's hammer with Impetus, and Kiran's dual blades with Aegis. His attacks came nearly twice as fast, and Lazula went on the defensive, feeling as though she fought three-on-one. After nearly half a minute of the onslaught, she caught a break. Kiran backed off to let Aureylia sweep at Lazula's legs with her hammer. The huntress hopped over the swing, landing with a slash across Aureylia's chest, and an elbow to follow. Kiran's two strikes clanked harmlessly off the face of Aegis, and he too was shoved back.

Lazula heard a strained scream of frustration from her side. Aureylia's hammer had caught fire, and she swung toward Lazula with reckless abandon. Lazula braced herself with a satisfied smirk, and Kiran's eyes went wide.

"_NO!_"

Lazula sucked the impact into Aegis, before wrenching Impetus across her body with a labored shout. Her blade gleamed in the late morning sun as a wanton gale of focused energy burst forth with a deafening boom. The concrete in an arc around her splintered and the trees behind both foes split at the trunk, crashing into the shredded earth below.

Kiran, who had come so close to winning the tournament the year before, gasped for breath, his hair undone and silver aura fizzling out around him as he lay against the wall of stone what must have been fifty feet away. Aureylia had lost most of her aura as well, and had been pushed all the way out of the arena.

"There it is, ladies, gents, and all of our friends!" Mrs. Brown shouted in excitement. "Lazula Skye, showing us all why she's undefeated!"

"I have no words..." Mr. Brown remarked. "That was unreal."

Lazula looked up to the board. All four members of Team KRAT were at or below the safety parameter. Her and her teammates' pictures took the center of the screen, just above three green letters: "WIN."

The cheer of the audience drowned out the announcers. She balled her fist and dropped to her knees, grinning from ear to ear.

"Yes. YES!"

She felt so much joy in that moment, she could nearly laugh.


	31. Heroes and Hallucinations

"GO MOKA!"

The faunus leapt and planted her feet on the face of a boulder. Shimmering brown sparks of energy coursed through her legs, and she sprung at the foe her team leader had maced toward her.

"And with that, we're down to one on two!" Mrs. Brown narrated. "Blaise Galeras and Moka Chino from Sentinel have really brought it back from the brink!"

"That's right! They lost two members early, but it's been all BLCM from there!"

"Let's not celebrate their victory just yet! It looks like team leader Brooke Darya wants to bring it home for Shade!"

The blue-robed girl with a bowl of matching hair twirled her staff, pulling the tides over the sandy shore of the beach biome. She stepped toward Blaise once and lowered her staff forward, letting loose the full force of the simulated ocean. A flamethrower-mace against a water dust wielder, Caspian noted. It didn't take a professional analyst to realize who had the advantage. As much as Blaise fought for his footing and thrashed at the waves, they carried him past the center platform, and through the marshy grounds and stagnant pools of the swamp.

Moka worked her way around the arena to avoid the vicious torrent, and do her best to stay outside Brooke's line of sight. As the dust wielder basked in her victory against Blaise, Moka leapt in fist-first.

Brooke whipped her staff around in surprise, trapping Moka in a ball of swirling seawater. Water from Brooke's assault on Blase pulled back and joined the sphere, beginning to whisk Moka to the opposite side of the stadium.

The faunus flipped inside of her liquid cage, regaining her composure after a few seconds. She flicked her wrists out and electricity sparked from her gloves, the single sparks becoming wicked bolts as they conducted back to the water's director.

Brooke seized up as they coursed through her weapon, and the waves came crashing down in complete anarchy as she lost all control. Moka shot a bolt of ice dust from her glove to her feet, and tried to maintain her balance on the lopsided plank amid the unpredictable waves. The ice skimmed over the surface of the water and toward Brooke, shattering as Moka jumped from it to end the fight with a semblance-enhanced punch to the dust-wielder's jaw.

"Good job, you guys!" Caspian cheered as he stepped up to meet Cattleya and Moka just outside the locker rooms. He couldn't help but notice Cattelya's hug was rigid. He took her hand as they made their way through the crowd and out of the stadium. "You won! Onto round two!"

Moka pumped her fist, looking aside to Cattelya. "We did it! I've never surfed before, that was fun!"

"Watching all that fighting made me hungry," Rowan said. "You all wanna grab a bite to eat somewhere?"

"It's hot out. Sushi sounds good right now if you guys are down," Caspian offered. He looked first to Cattleya, then the rest. "I can pay!"

"Thanks for the offer," Moka said. She poked at her Holoband. "But I'm gonna grab some food with my-"

"Moka?"

"Mama!"

Moka flicked her screen off and bounded up to a family of squirrel faunus standing off to the side of the main gate. The man and his sons' hair and tails were both the same shade of light brown. The frail woman wrapped up in Moka's hug was bald under her cap, strands of grey overtaking the brown of her tail.

"Oh, you did so well today! I'm so proud!"

"Thank you mama! I've been training every day!" Moka turned to Caspian's group as they broke from the river of spectators flowing out of the stadium. "These are some of my friends from school! And everyone, this is my family!"

Pleasantries and hellos were exchanged before Moka's father piped up.

"Hey, tell them our names!"

Moka sighed through a sheepish smile. "My dad's name is Coppa Chino, my mom's name is Frappe Chino, and my brother's name is Latei Chino."

"And your name is Moka Chino," Rowan concluded. "No wonder you drink so much coffee."

"...My parents met in a coffee shop."

Mrs. Chino fanned herself with the tournament's itinerary. "You wore your scarf even on a day like this?"

Moka flipped the end of her scarf as a reply. "Of course I did! I knew you were watching!"

Her mother turned to Caspian's group. "Did Moka ever tell you what she wanted to be as a kid?"

"Mama..." Moka warned.

"She always wanted to be a superhero!"

"Mama!"

Mrs. Chino chuckled. It was light and airy, but Caspian couldn't help but wince at the cough that followed. "That's why I knit her scarf, you know. It's her cape, because she's my own personal superhero."

* * *

Sentinel Stadium felt even bigger to Caspian when it was packed full of spectators and drones, eager for his match. He felt trapped within its staggering walls, and under his sister's stern gaze, courtesy of an advertisement for some active footwear brand. The screen towered over the arena to the right, breathing over his shoulder. Caspian felt trapped, but there was no way around it. He signed his team up for the tournament willingly, and it was far too late to back out now, with millions watching and his opponents just ten paces away.

Team MDLN had just wrapped up their decisive victory. Since the next match would be between a little known second-year team from Haven and an even lesser-known first-year team from Sentinel, spectators began to drain from the stands. Midas and Desmond stood at the head of a crowd by one of the exits, signing autographs and taking pictures with fans.

Lazula's match captured nearly a full stadium. But at least this way, less people would be watching.

The advertisement switched off, but Caspian could still feel his sister's eyes watching from the audience.

"Our next match between Caspian Skye and Team CRLN of Sentinel, and Inko Ror... Rorch... Inko and Team INKK of Haven is set to begin!" Mrs. Brown announced.

"You said you practiced their names!" Mr. Brown hissed.

"I... skimmed through them," Mrs. Brown defended in a hushed voice that wasn't supposed to be broadcast to the entire stadium.

"So far, Sentinel has sent all its teams onto the 2v2 round. Can they keep up that perfect streak against this team of lovely ladies- and one gentleman?"

"I sure hope so!"

"We're not supposed to be biased!"

"Our own son is competing!"

"Ah, yeah. Well, let's just see what biomes we're working with here."

The floor began to rumble. Behind Team INKK, a dense pine forest rose up. A wall of tall grass cradled Team CRLN from behind, so thick Caspian couldn't see more than a handful of feet into it. He tried to steady his breathing as the countdown started.

The buzzer blared, and the peace between the two teams shattered. A girl in a blue tunic and pants, wrapped at her forearms, shins, and stomach by bands of white silk, sprung at Rowan with a pair of chakram. As he blocked both with the flat of his sword and replied with a swing of his own, a tall and slight young man in a forest green yukata with magenta floral stitching snuck past and disappeared into the grass, sage hair flowing behind him. Nila Samudir and Kanjiro Hanada, Caspian recognized from the scoreboard above.

Nila lunged back at Rowan, but was deterred by a swing of his blade. She ducked under the next and lunged for his stomach, managing to land a strike as he pulled back. Rowan braced himself and transformed his weapon, eyeing Nila's approach as red sparks began to gather around the barrel. She sprinted in and vaulted over his weapon to strike once more, but Rowan abandoned the blast and transformed his weapon back, blocking her with its flat edge and cleaving downward. Nila sidestepped it, but it was apparent Rowan's hulking blade outclassed Nila's two smaller weapons, despite her blinding speed. She flipped back after clashing once more with Sanguine Storm, and dashed for the trees. Rowan began to pursue her, but Caspian held out an arm.

"Go find the guy that ran into the grass," he ordered. "Better we deal with him now."

"Got it boss!"

"Noxis, you-"

"Don't tell me what to do."

Pulling out Renegade, he stormed after Klementine, the brawny young woman with two pom-poms of ginger hair atop her head, and some kind of spiked gauntlets. Exactly what Caspian was about to order him to do, but he'd spare his pride. Caspian and Lilly pressed on into the trees to find INKK's raven-haired leader; Inko Rorshach.

On the other side of the arena, Rowan swung his blade with each step, clearing a path through the mire of grasses. He reversed his grip and tried to swing again, but found his blade stuck in a snarl of vine.

"Dangit! Not a good time," Rowan protested. He tried to shake them free, but with every blade of grass split, two more would weave into the growing knot.

The grasses ahead of him folded back to each side, revealing a short path, with Rowan's quarry at the end. He sat on a raised thatch, watching Rowan struggle with a look of quiet amusement.

After one final tug, Rowan's shoulders sunk and he looked up to his opponent. "You can control the plants, can't you? That's not fair."

"Close. I can imbue them with my aura, and make them do my bidding."

"So just a complicated yes?"

Kanjiro stood up from his thatch, and unsheathed a chokuto from within his robes, stepping forward already beaming with satisfaction. "No matter the specifics, I apologize. This won't be pleasant."

As Noxis held Klementine's drill gauntlets back with blasts and blows from Renegade, Caspian and Lilly worked their way into the pine forest. The sun above hardly broke the canopy, creating transient pools and patches of light amid a swath of shadow. As the two continued on, the cheer of the audience was lost, and Caspian nearly forgot he was in a simulated forest in the middle of an arena.

The shadows on the edge of a nearby pool of sunlight began to pull and distort like murky water. The distortion spread beneath Caspian and Lilly, twisting and undulating until even walking was difficult. Caspian held an arm out and leaned on a nearby trunk to steady himself.

The sound of an elimination buzzer shook him back to reality.

"Aw... Rowan Brown is eliminated by way of aura!" Mr. Brown announced.

"We still love you!" his mother added.

"Your mom and I are proud!"

"Not good..." Caspian muttered. "Three on four now, and we can't even find two of them."

"Caspian, watch out!" Lilly warned.

Caspian turned on the balls of his feet to see Nila shooting toward him from the branch of a nearby tree. He lashed out with Undertow to meet the edge of her chakram, and Lilly sent forth a wave of icy shards.

Undertow passed through thin air, and the bark of an unfortunate pine split from Lilly's ice. What was Nila vanished into a wave of shadows.

"Was that... her?" Caspian

"Caspian, look."

Caspian turned over his shoulder, even deeper into the forest. His heart sunk from both shock and discouraged despair. Three members of Team INKK- Nila, Kanjiro, and Klementine, were replicated three times over, standing against Lilly and Caspian as an illusory army. Inko stood front and center, shadows swirling around her.

They couldn't be real. At least, some of them couldn't be. He couldn't even tell if the puppetmaster behind the illusions was the real one, or if she was just a cleverly-placed fake. His mind began to swirl. He could shoot until he hit someone real, but he doubted the illusions would stand still and accept their fate, and it would take far too much time to shoot them all.

Lilly folded her hands on Elysian Bloom, bowed her head and closed her eyes. An ethereal mist raised from her, and surrounded Caspian.

The rushing torrent of thoughts slowed to an easy stream. _The illusions came from Inko. Judging by the fact the shadows acted at first, the illusions must be tied to them in some way. If there was more light on the forest floor, there would be less shadow. Retreating to the center platform wouldn't accomplish much. Inko probably wouldn't leave the forest willingly, considering the strength of her advantage. _

Caspian looked to the treetops behind Inko. "_If Lilly flings a bit of fire dust up there, it'll light up the forest, and we'll just have to worry about the shadows cast by tree trunks, which will be behind us anyway if the fire is that direction,_" Caspian assessed. "_It would force her toward us, too_."

His eyes widened.

"Lilly!"

Lilly's yelp of pain shattered the peace her semblance brought to mind. She fell forward with Nila standing over her, flipping a Chakram in her hand and looking to her next target.

"Lilly Corvis-Braun eliminated by aura level!"

"Can Team CRLN bounce back?"

Sparks flung from Renegade and the ear-splitting sound of shearing metal filled the arena as Noxis held Klementine's fists at bay. He freed his weapon and swung, but Klementine raised her fists to her face like a boxer and deflected the attack. The impact with her arms still chipped away at her aura, and after her exhausting fight with Noxis, it hovered just over 40%.

Slowing their rotation, the drills around Klementine's arms began to separate into quarters. She ran in an arc toward the edge of the forest, firing off the fragments like missiles. Noxis steadied himself and swung on the first, gritting his teeth and tightening the grip on his weapon against the plume of flame and shrapnel. The attack had done a number on his aura as well. He sidestepped the next shot, allowing it to splinter the concrete behind him. Three blasts from Renegade exploded the shells in midair. Klementine replenished her drills with the fragments secured on her belts, and Noxis transformed his weapon just in time to counter her spirited lunge.

As Noxis's overhead bash caught between Klementine's crossed drills, the buzzer sounded. The faunus chanced a glimpse at the scoreboard, displaying Lilly's newly depleted aura. He grimaced, before transforming Renegade into shotgun form and pulling the trigger.

"That's one for Team CRLN!" Mr. Brown cheered. "Klementine Rodier, eliminated by aura level!"

"The hell are you guys doing in there?" Noxis shouted, approaching the edge of the forest. "Why was Lilly just standing there?!"

"I-Inko has illusions! We're busy figuring out what's _real_ in here!"

"Looks like you're trying to figure out how to throw an easy match." He flicked his head to the girl in black. "Deal with those two. I'll be back."

Without another word, Noxis took off toward the grass.

Noxis's words had the opposite effect of Lilly's semblance. She had eased his thoughts into an even flow, enough. Now, the stream had gone wild again, flooding his thoughts and movements with embarrassment, anger, and shame.

He remembered one thought from before Lilly's defeat. He transformed Undertow into a pistol, looked to both sides for Nila, and fired a pair of fire-enhanced shots into the canopy behind Inko.

She flinched as the fire caught with an unexpected fury, and the shadow army melted around her. Bars of shadow still lingered among the orange glow, but the shadows were much more manageable. Inko inched forward and away from the flame, but stayed a safe distance away from Caspian.

"_Okay, that's the real one_," he assessed. "_Now, where's the real-_"

Nila sprung at him from behind the trunk of a nearby pine. The reddish glow of flame bathed her clothes, and he decided she was real. Steel clashed, and Caspian was forced back by the impact. Before he even secured his footing Nila was back upon him. He struck at one chakram, but took a spray of needle-tipped bullets from the gun embedded in the handle of the second. Raising his armguard to his chest he stepped toward his foe, slashing twice.

Nila's speed would have been comparable to Caspian's own if she held only one blade, but with two to hold back, Caspian doubted how much longer he could hold her off. As Nila ducked under a slash, Caspian hopped back and fired a shot. It hit its mark handily, in the center of Nila's chest. She fell back toward the trunk of a pine, her prone form bathed in shadow.

Caspian's eyes narrowed, and he held Undertow steady. His eyes flicked to the side as he heard a twig snap. The true Nila was at his back, closing in with her chakram.

"Looks like he's learning!" Nila called to Inko after Caspian had forced her back once more.

Caspian punched away the pair of chakram with his armguard, managing to land a second strike on Nila's shoulder. He looked over his shoulder to see Inko finally closing in on him, a massive claymore extending from within an ornate black handle. Caspian abandoned the fight against Nila for a second to hold Undertow ready and brace himself.

As glimmering steel of her claymore passed through Undertow, vanishing into a dark fog and fading into the ground below, Caspian realized with a start she stood cloaked in shadow. His eyes flicked down and under his shoulder, where Inko held the handle of a dagger next to his side. She pulled a trigger at its haft.

Caspian yelped with pain as the ballistic dagger shot out with a twang, making contact with his side. He stumbled forward, into Nila's blades.

"Team Leader Caspian Skye eliminated by aura level!"

"Just one left on CRLN's side, but he isn't quitting!"

At the far end of the stadium, Noxis waded through the grass, the look on his face a mixture of irritation and determination. A warm breeze wafted off the burning forest behind him, rustling the stalks. Every few seconds Noxis would pause and listen, searching for the opponent he couldn't see.

A blade of grass worked its way around his arm, and as he pulled it back in annoyance, he found himself caught in a snag. Tendrils worked their way up his boots and to his thighs, securing an arm to his leg and rendering him immobile. Noxis's head wrenched around as the grasses around him flattened. His scowl met Kanjiro's look of smug serenity.

"Well, well. Another wanders into my web," he taunted. His lips curled into a smirk as he began to produce his weapon. "Like flies into the spider's parlor."

Noxis snarled, beginning to wrench his arm free of the grass's grip. One stalk split, but more took its place. As Kanjiro neared, a breeze began to ripple the grass.

The breeze burst forth as an explosion of murk, shredding his verdant shackles. Noxis hunched over in the epicenter, the black mist swirling around him and coalescing into jagged shards of stygian armor across arms and chest.

His head snapped up and his eyes flashed crimson as a smoke rose from within his semblance.

"That's an angry fly."

Noxis sprinted forward, forgoing Renegade for his armored claws. His first strike was held back by Kanjiro's blade. Noxis's fist balled around it, and he flung it deep into the grass before slashing again across his opponent's chest. Kanjiro fell back, and Noxis pounced onto him like a savage beast.

"That's another for Noxis Orion!" Mr. Brown narrated. "Looks like he's headed back into the woods, to take the last two members of Team INKK head-on!"

As soon as Noxis hit the smoke-filled treeline, Nila pounced on him with both chakram. He crossed his arms in front of his head, and they locked with his jagged armor. He twisted his wrist and wrenched one of her weapons to the side before she could pull its trigger, opening her stance for a vicious claw to the gut that left her with almost a third less aura.

Noxis head snapped to the side as Inko called out to her partner. His eyes widened for a split second as she produced a minigun from the darkness behind her, and began to fire. Noxis ducked behind a nearby pine, and his eyes narrowed. Despite the chorus of cracks from her weapon, no bullets came his way. He leapt out from behind the tree, honing in on the team leader. Nila's chakram came at him like a guillotine, and he ducked to the ground.

Shadows.

He flinched at the hail of real bullets assaulting his side, raising his arms once again as a makeshift shield and charging in. Nila's bullets splintered and chipped Noxis's armor as they struck and grazed him, but he pressed forward as if he felt no pain. A swipe was dodged, then another. Nila twirled in place, and bore down on Noxis with a heavy axe kick.

His clawed hand grabbed her ankle, and he heaved her over himself, slamming her to the ground. The final hardy remnants of armor encasing his right hand finally fell away, and he pulled Renegade from his back, firing a single blast into Nila's crumpled form.

Waves of black coursed around her body. Nila's long blue braid faded away, and a ruffled black gown billowed out from Nila's comparably tight outfit. The one on the ground was Inko Rorshach.

Noxis heard a scream from behind him, but he was too late to react. Nila ripped Inko's dagger down the faunus's spine with a vengeful fury, decimating what aura remained.

The buzzer sounded.

"What a play by Inko Rorshach and Nila Samudir!" Mr. Brown applauded.

"Switching weapons and using her semblance to swap appearances while her opponent wasn't looking! That was clever!" Mrs. Brown commended.

"We... we did it..." Nila panted. She crawled over to her partner, and gave her a hug.

Noxis looked disgusted. As Inko wobbled up to her feet and offered a handshake, he turned his back and sulked away to the locker rooms.


	32. Pit Viper

Caspian's fingers trembled as they hastily worked at the straps of his chestplate. He had already flung off his coat and crammed it into his bag, and his shinguards were to follow. There was no way Noxis would be happy with the outcome of the match. Maybe, Caspian thought, if he could change fast enough and leave the locker room in time, he could avoid him entirely. He practically dove for the door handle as he scrambled out of the locker room, but his heart leapt from his throat.

His hands grasped the air as the door flung away. It was Noxis.

Caspian nodded in feigned respect and tried to work his way around the faunus, but felt a vice grip on his shoulder. "In a rush, are we?" Noxis growled. He ripped Caspian back into the room hard enough that he stumbled to the ground, and the contents of his half-zipped bag scattered across the concrete.

"We need to have a little chat."

Rowan stepped between the two. "The hell was that for? Step off!"

"That was for the pitiful display out there," Noxis snapped. "_You_ didn't manage to touch _anyone,_ and Lilly stood still for half the fight. You're all embarrassing the school."

"D-Don't blame her!" Caspian countered, attempting to mask the fact he could barely sputter the words through his pounding heart and the lump in his throat. "She was using her semblance to help me think."

"So it's your fault. No surprise there."

"We were figuring out the one girl's semblance-"

"And she beat you before you could."

"She beat you too!" Rowan argued.

"Yeah, after I eliminated three of them. Two of which I did by myself," Noxis retorted. "If _anyone_ else on this team carried their own weight, we would have won."

Caspian breathed out evenly to quell the tide of emotion. "We have three more years," he reminded. "We're lucky we even qualified in our first year."

Rowan nodded. "INKK worked pretty well together, probably because they've had more time to get used to each other."

"Inko and Nila had great synergy," Caspian agreed. "Plus, Lazula's probably just gonna win it all for Sentinel anyway."

Noxis brushed past Rowan, and towered over Caspian. "So there's no use in trying, huh? For someone who whines incessantly about living in his sister's shadow, you sure do enjoy the shade."

Caspian stumbled helplessly over his response.

"Why does this tournament even matter so much to you anyway? It's not like you want to join the PHL. Really feels like you're just using this as an excuse to insult us," Rowan cut in. He grew more irritated with each word. "Why are you even at Sentinel?"

"I'm at Sentinel to get stronger. Being around the likes of you two makes that difficult." He turned to Caspian, stepping forward and trapping him against the wall. "And as for you, if _anyone _was Headmaster besides your own father, you wouldn't be here to argue this with me."

Noxis stepped by, leaving Caspian to slide down the wall until he sat. He cursed both himself, and the one who left him like this. Almost the whole school year had passed, and the slightest confrontation with the wolf faunus left Caspian a nauseated, quivering mess with a tight chest and racing heart.

Just a few more weeks until Summer. Rinse and repeat three times over.

"Hey, man. Come on, let's get going," Rowan offered. "Laurel's concert is tonight, you still wanna go? It might help take your mind off this."

"Yeah, sure..." Caspian weakly agreed, accepting Rowan's help up.

"I think Lilly and Lazula are going together if you wanna meet up with them."

Caspian shook his head. "I'd rather not talk to my sister right now." He took a deep breath, attempting to bring up his mood. "I'll invite Cat and Moka."

* * *

By the time Caspian and Rowan arrived to the lot, a surprisingly large crowd had already gathered before it. Pit Viper had opened for a few bands in the past that were somewhat famous within their niche, but never had they held their own concert. Caspian stuck by Rowan's side. Usually, crowds didn't phase him, as he could just disappear into the masses. But amid the leather jackets, wild haircuts and painful-looking piercings, he felt entirely out of place.

"It's a shame Moka and Cat couldn't come. What were they up to again?" Rowan inquired.

"Moka's hanging out with her family again," Caspian explained. "Actually I'm not sure what Cat's up to. Might be training, but I don't think she really likes this kind of music anyway."

Laurel was onstage, tuning Pit Viper and adjusting the microphone. The shaggy green-haired drummer set up his kit, and the grungy-looking bassist with a fin jutting from his back tuned his instrument. Their stage names were Pete Moss and Marlon Finn, if Caspian's memory served him right. After ten or so minutes, the lights around the stage dimmed, and a few above focused on Laurel.

"Thank you all for coming out tonight. Hope you're enjoying the tournament and everything. We're Pit Viper, but I guess you already know that," Laurel began, running absently through her words onstage. She perked up. "I don't know how to start this, so let's just kick this shit off!"

The crowd roared, and Pete began to click his drumsticks rhythmically.

"One, two, three, four!"

After the first drum hit and strum of Laurel's guitar, Pit Viper stopped playing abruptly. Laurel turned away from the crowd and her mischievous cackle was lost to the confused murmur of the audience, before she whipped back around with vigor in her eyes. "_FIVE, SIX, SEVEN, EIGHT!_"

Caspian was struck by the wall of noise. How three people could make so much of it, Caspian had no idea. Though thrash-punk-metal, or whatever label the music fell under, wasn't Caspian's preferred genre, but something about Laurel- how she managed to simultaneously sing and nail the heavy riffs, how she jaunted energetically around the stage as she did with a grin on her face, was enthralling. Shouting lyrics over guitar and drum never sounded so good.

Judging by the wild mashing and shoving of the audience, they agreed.

A few songs in, after Caspian had taken an elbow or two to the ribcage, the band had settled into one of their slower songs. The moshers took a break, instead waving lighters to the beat and nodding along.

"These guys are pretty good, huh?" an unfamiliar voice commented from over Caspian's shoulder.

He turned, and came face to face with an odd-looking woman. Bald, with heavy winged eyeliner, pitch black lipstick and a ski-jump nose. A shredded leather jacket and meter-wide hoop skirt were an odd combination, but she fit in well enough with the crowd.

Her smile seemed friendly enough, but something about her sat in the pit of Caspian's stomach like a stone.

"We know the lead singer!" Rowan bragged. "She's one of our good friends!"

The woman's drawn-on eyebrows raised. "Huh, nice. She's lucky to be playing during the Vytal Tournament, with so many people watching." She grinned again. "It's like my boss says, the Vytal Tournament is the world's biggest stage. If you want the world to hear what you're saying, say it here."

"He's probably right. The finale is practically considered a holiday! I don't know anyone who doesn't tune in!"

She chuckled. "Anyway, make sure to tell Miss Viper she did a damn good job," the woman concluded, before sinking back into the crowd.

As she left, Caspian saw the tip of a serpent's tail sweep out from underneath her skirt.

"You've got a girlfriend, and you still go silent every time a girl approaches you? Come on, man!" Rowan teased.

Caspian shook his head, watching the spot where the woman disappeared into the mass. "Something didn't sit right with me. I can't put my finger on it, but there's something off about her."

* * *

"It's her! It's really her!" the girl a row behind Caspian marvelled. "It's Lazula!"

"Yeah. I mean, we _did_ come to watch her match..." the one who was presumably her brother mumbled.

"But she's so close!"

"Have you seen her interviews? She's so arrogant, I can't _stand _her. Just some pissy rich girl stealing away all the prize money."

"Oh whatever. She's the best by far. She deserves to be arrogant."

"Heard she's rude to her fans too. Why don't you try for an autograph and find out?"

The girl sighed. "Honestly, I think I'm too shy... But hey, who's that girl with her? Lazula's only done single tournaments before, I don't recognize her..."

"Hot off their victory in the Team Round, Lazula Skye and Snow Hudson of Sentinel are looking for another win!"

"But this next match won't be easy!" Mrs. Brown added. "The Dynamic Duo of Marten and Tayra Castor of Shade had a dominating performance in the team round, and they have no intention of stopping here!"

"_That's unfortunate, neither do I_," Lazula thought. She adjusted a strap on Aegis, and looked up to her competition. The familial resemblance was obvious- much more so than her own resemblance to Caspian. Both were tall and well-built, with black hair, a prominent brow, and bold, beady eyes. A long, bushy black tail draped from Tayra's waist to the floor, and a pair of fluffy brown ears perked up from Marten's buzzcut. Their outfits were congruent too; both wearing various shades of black, brown, and silver amid their vests, pants, and plates of armor.

It must be fun, Lazula thought, to fight side by side with your twin.

The rumbling underneath her feet signalled the stage randomization had begun. Marten and Tayra gained a peculiar backdrop; a black floor, with the edge of the field glowing white and a dozen or so floating prisms of irregular shape and size, each face surrounded by a glowing border of white or purple. Behind Lazula and Snow was a comparably mundane forest. The stage didn't matter to Lazula. Owing to her raw skill, she had the advantage over anyone on even ground.

As the countdown begun, Lazula unsheathed Impetus, and readied her shield. Her eyes settled on Tayra, whose flat-edged, chainsaw-sword transformed to a bulky rifle, the dust chain now feeding into the base of the barrel.

As soon as the buzzer sounded, she pinched the trigger, and a violent stream of blasts burst forth from her gun's muzzle. Lazula lowered her head beneath the top of her shield and ducked down, protecting herself from the rain of fire as much as she could. The noise of each shot exploding upon her shield filled her ears, and her head snapped aside to her partner.

"Snow, return fire!"

Snow nodded, and rays of blue traced out from Absolute Zero's handle until it became a rifle, she raised it, and a few of her shots landed before Tayra let up on her assault, transforming her weapon back into a toothed sword and blocking Snow's shots with the flat of her blade.

The top of Marten's hook swords slid down and pivoted, until they became symmetric, with multiple razor sharp edges to each side. He put his full body into each throw, and they careened through the air toward Snow, whirling like sawblades.

Lazula leapt in, blocking the first with Aegis, and slinging Impetus at the second. She charged at Marten as he stood weaponless, but just before she reached him, he held his arms out and regained his weapons.

Lazula pushed him back with a series of strikes as the boomerangs transformed back into hook swords. She had never fought nor sparred anyone with them before, and they made for a tedious opponent. Her jab was pulled to the side, and when she raised Aegis to his follow-up, it was wrenched the same way. She spun with the force of his attack, putting her full weight into her next. Marten ducked under it with blinding speed, grappling her blade and whipping a hook around Lazula's ankle to wrench her to the floor. In his brief moment of victory, he transformed the blade in his right hand, flinging it at Snow.

Snow looked over her shoulder and cartwheeled as she freed her blade from Tayra's, dodging the whirling blade with only an inch to spare. Tayra caught her twin's weapon and used it as her own, striking down on Snow with brute strength. She raised Absolute Zero to deflect the blow, but was struck with Tayra's original weapon, and a follow-up.

Marten losing one of his weapons simplified the fight for Lazula. She landed a hefty blow that took a third of his aura, and a second with Aegis to shove him to the edge of the glossy black floor.

Watching her brother, Tayra abandoned the fight with Snow to toss his boomerang back and join him. Once again dual-wielding, Marten's speed nearly held an edge over Lazula. She grit her teeth, and with each dodged swing and redirected slash, she grew increasingly irritated.

"_Damn it. If he just stopped dodging, this would be simple_. _Lose already._"

As Marten ripped both hook blades down on her shield, Lazula took their force into herself, and turned on the balls of her feet to lash out with Impetus. Sometime during the attack, Marten dodged aside again. It should have been impossible, Lazula thought, to get out of the way in such time. She lost her balance as his hook stuck her leg again, and the dark floor came forward. Lazula tumbled onto it with all the energy behind her attack. She regained her footing for a second, and the white glow around the edge of the floor tinted purple.

"Huh?!"

Lazula felt the ground underneath her shift. No- there was no ground underneath her. She was lifted off the floor suddenly, through no effort of her own. A white glow flashed across the edge of the dark face floating twenty feet above, and Lazula thrashed through the air, managing to land on it. Gracelessly, but on her feet.

Snow pursued Tayra in the center of the arena below. Lazula had seen the biome in a few matches over the last couple years, but few ever fought within it, and she had never experienced its true, disorienting nature for herself. To anyone watching, she stood upside-down. But to her, up felt down, and down felt up.

The sooner she was on the ground and following the laws of physics, the better.

Marten leapt up to meet Lazula, turning in midair and bearing down -or up- on her with his blades. Lazula blocked them and channeled her semblance into a kick, which flung him off the platform and onto a nearby wall. His feet stuck on its vertical face, and he flung both boomerangs at her.

As Tayra did a half-flip onto the platform to cross blades with Lazula, Snow sprung up to the wall, losing little speed as she approached Marten. She lashed out with her whip, but just as the tip reached her foe, his weapons returned. He grappled Snow's whip between them, and flung her into another floating figure.

She landed upon it with a roll, standing to face Marten as he leapt across the gap to join her. The two crossed blades for several seconds. Snow's speed was a better match for Marten's, and Lazula was better equipped to hold off the force of Tayra's blows, and send it back at her.

After half a minute, Snow held off both of Marten's blades with her own. The brawny faunus used the full foot of height advantage he had over the comparably slight white-haired huntress, shoving her toward the ground. Snow's arms trembled as she held him off, and just before she buckled, her eyes flicked to the side.

The border around the platform they stood on glowed purple, and that around the nearby wall shone white.

As gravity failed the pair, Snow transformed Absolute Zero into axe form, and pivoted on the balls of her feet. The head of her weapon enveloped Marten's pair of blades, and gravity's draw pulled the two fighters fifteen feet, across to the platform they had just considered a ceiling.

Snow crashed down on Marten with her axe, and a buzzer sounded. Straightening up on the vertical platform, Snow looked to her partner.

With Marten eliminated, Lazula pressed the attack on Tayra. Suddenly, it was as if her foe had become an entirely different person. Luckily, a weaker one. While Tayra's strikes before nearly matched Lazula's own in strength, they began to feel feeble and offbeat, as if she was hit with a forceful wave of sudden exhaustion.

In only a few seconds' time, she was defeated.

"Lazula Skye and Snow Hudson of Sentinel win!" Mr. Brown cheered. "Looks like the Indomitable Girl will be moving onto the one-on-one gauntlet!"

"Looks like the twins' semblance is a double-edged sword," Mrs. Brown commented. "Together, their auras are boosted! When they're apart, not so much!"

Lazula's cape billowed behind her as the platforms rotated upright, and settled gently into place. She soaked in the cheer of the audience, chants of her name, and the "VICTORY" flashing across every screen, just under her and Snow's faces.

That was it for the team rounds. She didn't think her team would hold her back, but with shifting biomes, and multiple opponents to keep track of, there were too many moving parts for her liking. Now, things would be simple. One-on-one matches on nothing but plain, even ground.

Her victory seemed assured.


	33. Dark Horse

"Lazula Skye and Snow Hudson win! Looks like The Indomitable Girl will be moving onto the one-on-one gauntlet!"

Caspian's section of the crowd, filled mostly with students and families from Sentinel, exploded with cheer. He couldn't help but add to the applause. It _was_ his sister after all, and Snow had done a good job as well.

"Lazula's doing a lot better than I did this tournament..." he noted.

"I mean, it _is_ Lazula we're talking about," Rowan said. "People have been predicting she'd win since before it even started."

Lilly put her hands together, watching the arena with a content smile. "I'm so glad she's doing well!"

"Sorry we got eliminated in the first round," Caspian returned. "It's over, but I really wish we could have done more..."

Noxis's words echoed in his mind. "_For someone who complains incessantly about living in your sister's shadow, you sure enjoy the shade._" Caspian sighed, downcast gaze watching his sister leave the stadium with her signature confident poise. "_That's right,_" he reflected. "_I'm just fishing for pity at this point, aren't I?_"

"The first round didn't go very well for me, either," Cattleya commented.

"You guys won, though!" Caspian supported.

"It was totally unfair," she complained. "I hardly got a chance to fight before getting knocked out of the arena."

"Yeah, you got unlucky," Caspian comforted, putting his arm around her and holding her closer.

"Well, I convinced Blaise to let me fight in the next round," she replied. "Not many scouters watch the first round anyway, since any _actual_ League just has doubles and singles matches." She perked up proudly. "I'll get another chance to catch a scouter's eye."

Moka paused, and tilted her head toward Cattleya. Her tail flicked back and forth vigorously, threatening to batter the row behind her. "Oh... he told you?" she asked.

"Yeah."

Moka's shoulders slumped. "He told me he'd let me fight next round..."

"Oh. When did he say that? Because he told _me_ just last night. Our match is next, so I think that's his final decision."

* * *

The walk back to the locker room was lined with spectators. They spilled popcorn and drinks on themselves as they leaned over the railing, cheering and screaming for Lazula's attention. Droves of cameramen and reporters fell upon her, their flashing lights and nagging questions all but obscuring the path to peace and quiet. She lowered her head, and stepped through them.

"_Stop taking pictures_. _Don't bother me," _she thought.

"WE LOVE YOU!" A rowdy group of young men cheered. Their hands came too close.

"_What makes you think you have the right to touch me? Don't even look at me._"

If only she could have said it out loud. But she still had some sliver of a public image to keep up.

"Lazula. These people seem to want your attention," Snow addressed.

Her eyes were set on the door. Only a dozen steps away, but it seemed so far. "I know. Ignore them."

"Peonie, look! She's so close!"

A child's voice called out. "Wow! It's her!"

Lazula finally looked up. Above her and to the left, a pink-haired little girl reached a tiny hand through the railing.

"_Damn, a kid. Now I __**have to**_ _be nice._"

Lazula reached her gloved hand up to the girl with a bright smile, and shook it gently.

"Lula! Good job!"

"Thank you! Always nice to meet a fan!"

"You have a reputation for being rude," Snow noted once the two had reached the locker room. "But you are never rude to your friends. Why is that?"

"When the world has their attention on you like this, they start to forget you're actually a person," Lazula replied, securing Aegis and Impetus into their slots in her deluxe-sized locker. "Sometimes I just want some damn privacy."

"Fans seem to like Midas."

"He's more of a people person." Lazula chuckled, and reclined on the locker room bench to undo the strap of her boot. "Either that, or he's a lot better at faking it."

The mess had mostly cleared by the time Lazula left the locker room- she spent a while inside holding idle conversation with Snow to ensure they did. She got a few more calls and cheers on her way to the students' section, some of which she even acknowledged.

A row of fit, well-groomed spectators decked out in brand clothing adorned the railing next to the arena, pecking at their Holobands, filming the stadium, or speaking with students. Scouters, Lazula recognized. They must have come to watch the two-on-two rounds. Snow spotted the rest of their friends in the crowd, and Lazula followed her up.

"Hot off the heels of Lazula Skye and Snow Hudson's victory, we're bringing another match from Sentinel Academy in just a few minutes!" Mr. Brown's voice called to the stadium.

"Take your potty breaks now and grab your popcorn, in just five minutes Blaise Galeras and Cattleya Ophrys of Sentinel take on Mica Muscov and Pearl Hayes of Shade!"

"GO CAT!" Caspian shouted. He knew there was no way his voice would reach her, but he had to try.

Snow evened out her skirt before gently taking a seat next to Caspian, and Lazula plopped down in Moka's empty spot. She leaned in. "Huh. Is Moka hurt or something?" she asked.

"Nope, she was just over here. She seemed fine," Caspian said. She had left with Cattleya just after Lazula and Snow's match ended. He hoped to see them both in the arena, but Blaise and Cattleya were the two selected.

"Weird," Lazula decided. "She's pretty good. Thought her team would want her down there."

The announcers voices echoed through the hall surrounding Sentinel Stadium. A horseshoe of souvenir shops and concession stands- all questionably priced- drew long lines of customers, especially between matches. However, the corner Moka stood in was all but forgotten, lit up by just one light that threatened to die at any minute's whim.

"Moka!" her mother's voice greeted brightly through her Holoband. "The doctors let me out for another day! I'm just getting to the stands now. I'm not too late, am I? I tried to hurry!"

"Mama..." Moka uttered. Her tail had fallen to the dingy ground, and her voice was broken.

"What's wrong, honey?"

"I'm not fighting this round."

"Cattleya Ophyrs eliminated by aura level!"

"It's down to one-on-two for Blaise Galeras!" Mrs. Brown's voice nearly taunted. "Looks like Mica has BLCM beat in close quarters! I'm not sure they have an answer for him!"

"I thought you were going to! Did something happen?"

Moka sighed. "...Blaise changed his mind. Cattleya wanted to fight instead, and... he changed his mind."

"Oh..."

Moka's trembling lips suddenly gave way and she gasped for breath, covering her mouth and lowering her Holoband's camera from her face.

"...I'm sorry, mama."

* * *

"That's it for Adrian Adur! LAZULA SKYE IS GOING ONTO THE VYTAL TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP!"

Lazula sheathed her blade, striding offstage. She took the spotlight with her, leaving her opponent in darkness. Another easy match. No one since the doubles round had put up much of a fight, and she was beginning to grow disappointed. It was the Vytal Tournament. The apex of Academy League skill that millions looked forward to every year, yet it looked like another easy victory.

That night, Lazula sat with her and Caspian's team in a suite above the arena.

"The semifinal match between Midas Baine of Sentinel, and Sterling Platton of Atlas is set to begin in just a few minutes!"

"We have a few special guests in the audience today!" Mrs. Brown declared. Every screen in the stadium showed a shot of one of the other suites. Griswold Baine, joined by his wife and an entourage of security guards at each side, held up a hand in a dignified wave to the audience. "Looks like Griswold Baine is coming to show support for his son, Midas!"

Caspian's heart leapt out of his chest as he saw his own face on the camera, joined by each of his friends. He straightened his posture, and hid the unease on his face as he waved. The camera ignored him. "Lazula Skye is here, sizing up her competition!"

Lazula looked down at the arena, avoiding eye contact with the camera drone entirely. To the music, a rainbow of lights streaked across the audience, reflecting upon the confetti falling like diamond dust. At the edge of the screen, Snow looked blankly to Lazula, into the camera, and back at Lazula.

The lights settled and shone white, focusing in on one corner of the arena. "Now, for the moment you've all been waiting for, the one who won it all last year is back for more! Welcome Midas Baine to the stage!"

Midas strode out with Resplendence strapped to his back, working the audience with his waves and perfect grin. Some lucky girl in the audience must've fainted as he pointed to her with a wink, the lights of the stadium twinkling in his dark eye and shimmering armor.

"Now, the dark horse challenger from Atlas! We didn't even know who he was before this, but I'm sure he's gonna be a household name after! It's Sterling Platton, from Atlas!"

Sterling kept his head forward. A pair of straight blades, just two of what must have been a dozen, ran along the track from his back to his wrist, and rotated into his hands.

Lazula entwined her fingers under her chin, hazel gaze intent on the two challengers. If Midas won, the tournament was hers. They had sparred countless times and she had grown used to his style. While he was no pushover, he had never come close to victory either. Especially when she gave her all. Sterling was more of a question. Of course with her semblance, any one-on-one fight was trivial, but she didn't have the same experience against him.

Still, he had quite a bit to say at the Opening Ceremony, and during each of his interviews since he had mentioned her name. she relished the opportunity to shove his words back down his throat.

The countdown began.

Sterling cocked his head back. "Go down easy, alright? You're not why I'm here."

Midas grinned, and fixed his hair. "I wouldn't underestimate me if I were you," he reminded. "I won this whole thing last year, you know."

"And I'm going to win it this year."

The buzzer sounded with the end of Sterling's last word, and he sprinted at Midas with blades in hand. Midas held his ground, and the tip of Resplendence folded back. He drew, and a gleaming arc of stark white energy coalesced into an oversized arrow.

Sterling crossed his blades in front of his face, slashing at the missile and dispelling it into a mist of sparks without losing a hint of momentum. Resplendence transformed and Midas whipped its axehead down at his opponent, but his pair of blades brought the attack down and to his side. Another blade lost its place on Sterling's back and fired off his elbow with the force of a bullet, catching Midas by surprise and piercing the gap in Midas's armor just beside his chestplate.

Sterling began an assault of blades as Midas stumbled back. He blocked a dual-wielded overhead strike with the haft of his halberd, rotating it swiftly to disengage from the next round of elbow-blasts and reply with a jab. He brought Resplendence down once again, and his strike was blocked just as his previous attempt. Before Sterling could surprise him again, Midas swifty turned his grip, and landed a strike to the gut with the narrow end of his weapon. He spun Resplendence over his head partially for show, and slammed down on Sterling's crossed blades.

Watching the two was mesmerizing. Two warriors, surrounded by the oppressive walls of Sentinel Stadium. They held the gaze of innumerable masses, but in that moment, only the two of them existed. The spotlights reflected upon weapons and bits of armor like ardent moonlight. Their speed was a near-even match; Sterling even had a bit of an upper hand against Midas's best efforts at spinning, dodging, and blocking all he had to offer.

"_Strange fighting style,_" Lazula assessed, leaning in toward the window. "_His footwork is a bit like Snow's, a step and half-turn with each strike. Then there's his swords. So many of them, all weaving around his body on those silver belts._"

Midas cracked a grin, and zealous golden sparks coursed from his arms into his weapon. Sterling seized up and his aura began to drain. Pulling away an arm with immense effort, He flung a blade into the ground, and the current coursed away from his body. He lashed out with the other arm, managing to strike Midas twice before locking up again.

"Midas Baine, making the most of his semblance advantage over Sterling Platton!"

"An electric personality, and an electric semblance!"

Still locked with Midas, Sterling summoned a blade at standby on his upper arm, disengaging one hand for a split second to twirl his wrist and lock Midas's weapon between the two of his. He pulled it back, wrenching Midas toward himself and planting a palm on his side. Held in a position akin to a violent dance, a silver pulse coursed across Midas's body and synchronized with a single heartbeat.

Midas grabbed Sterling's arm with his gloved hand, and channeled a stream of volts into his opponent.

"_WHAT?!_" Sterling barked, wrenching himself backward with a vile look of confusion and impatience.

Midas's grin faded in an instant.

Sterling sprung back at Midas with renewed fervor, two strikes coming before Midas could offer one. He pulled back, thrust an arm forward to fire off a hail of blades, then pull them back on their cables like a puppetmaster. He flipped through the air, slamming down across Midas's shoulders with swords in both hands.

"What's this?! Could last year's champion have met his match?!" Mr. Brown shouted into the microphone.

Though his aura hovered just over 40%, Midas wasn't done. As Sterling finished his attack and rolled to his feet, Midas impaled the ground dangerously close to his side. Upon seeing his strike missed, he grabbed the haft of his blade, and vaulted on it to plant both feet in his opponent's stomach. Using the space he had created, Midas transformed Resplendence back into a bow, and let fly.

Sterling braced himself against the shot, letting it skim past his bladed arm. He flicked his wrist to lock the blade in his hand with his makeshift shield, and flung the pair at Midas. The defending champion flicked the blades aside with a satisfying twang, and offered a retort in the form of a cleaving blow. Sterling tumbled around the attack and to his knees, smirking as his fist clasped around his weapon's cable.

He wrenched it toward himself, and the flying blades speared the small of Midas's back. He yelped in pain and fell into his opponent, who met his neck with a cross of steel.

The audience erupted.

Sterling panted and looked down to his opponent with a steely glare, before returning his blades to his back and leaving the stage wordlessly.

Rowan leapt out of his seat in astonishment, practically slamming his hands on the glass before pulling away. "NO WAY! He beat _Midas_?!" he yelled.

"Damn, I hadn't even heard of the guy before this thing started," Laurel commented.

"Oh, my... I can't say I expected that," Lilly added. "Looks like you have some competition, Lazula! Nothing you can't handle, I'm sure."

"All without a semblance, too," Caspian noted. He grinned to ensure his next words weren't taken seriously. "If I wasn't your brother, I'd be rooting for him!"

Lazula's eyes narrowed, and she looked down to the dancing lights, animated audience, and extravagant fanfare wordlessly.

The final match in the Vytal Tournament would be between her, and Sterling Platton.

* * *

**Who will win the 60th Vytal Tournament? Cast your votes in the comments below! (Kidding, I already know. But reviews are always welcome. *hint, hint*)**


	34. The Biggest Stage

The traffic across Seacrest Bridge slowed to a sputter. The bridge was built well before the city's population explosion, so even after the completion of the Link underneath the bay, the bridge had a hard time dealing with traffic. Neither did it help that thousands of tourists had descended upon the city for the finale of the Vytal Tournament. Opposite the setting sun the vibrance of Sentinel Stadium flashed across the few clouds hanging in the cobalt sky.

The bridge of a massive container ship glided beneath the street and into the bay, with just a few feet to spare.

"Is everyone in position?" a grumbling man's voice asked his Holoband. His dark eyes and half-face mask were painted red by the brake lights in front of his truck.

"All clear. Give 'em hell."

A screeching of tires.

The truck pulled out from the right lane, barreling across the left to shatter the windows and crush the trunk of the unfortunate sedan in its path. The drivers' side door of the truck swung open and its driver abandoned the vehicle, which erupted into a ball of flame and flying steel as it rammed into the median. Cars laid on their horns and plowed into one another to avoid the inferno, creating a barrier of twisted metal, broken glass, and flame.

At the North end of Seacrest Bridge, a twin plume of smoke billowed into the evening sky.

* * *

From the arena's entrance, Lazula took in the ambience of Sentinel Stadium for one final time. A sea of heads and flashing lights filled each of the stadium's three tiers, each one marked with a ring of neon lights that jolted to the beat of the invigorating music. Each of the screens in the arena showed her face next to Sterling's, marked only with the word "FINAL." The steel cradle that made up the stadium's structure curved back in above the stands, four prongs meeting in a white bow of steel almost three hundred feet above the arena.

Remnant's shattered moon hung overhead, nearly drowned out by the spotlights that bathed Lazula as she stepped into the crowd's chants. She faced forward. One more fight, and she'd be crowned winner. Of course she'd have to sit through the post-match interviews, but afterward she'd be treated to a victory dinner, spend time with Lilly if time allowed, and end the night with a relaxing bath. At home, not in those dreaded dormitory showers.

Sterling strode forward, blades and belts glinting in the spotlights. Lazula got her first close look at him since the opening ceremony, before she thought much of her challenger. His hair was styled similarly to Midas's. Streaks of silver emerged in his hairline, and flowed to a point in the back of his head. His black suit was tight where it wasn't armored, made of kevlar or a similar tough-looking substance. Then, the tracks his blades slid upon. From his back, down his arms and legs, even across his chest and stomach in in places. On elbows and wrists were reserves of cable, which must've been how he had fired off his blade at Midas like a ballistic spear.

The President of the Academy League, a dignified-looking blond man in a fitted blue suit and slacks, broke in between the challengers' staredown. "Welcome to the championship match of the 60th Vytal Tournament!" He introduced. He allowed time for the audience to settle down so his next words could be heard. "This match will be between Lazula Skye of Sentinel, and Sterling Platton of Atlas!" He nodded, and turned first to Lazula, then Sterling. "Please, shake your opponent's hand.

Their handshake was uncomfortably firm and devoid of all cordiality, as if both competed to clench their competitor's hand harder. Lazula's hazel eyes met Sterling's grey, and she nodded once.

"Now, take your spots," the President allowed. "Safety parameters are set at the Academy League Standard of 15%. The first to drop their opponent's aura below the safety parameter will be declared champion of the Vytal Tournament!"

The crowd chanted rhythmically. The countdown had begun.

Impetus glinted under the spotlight as it scraped from its sheath. It was a heavy blade, to be sure. But every time she wielded it, that weight would melt away in her hand.

She took two breaths, and the championship match began.

Sterling sprinted in with a vicious fury in his eye, but Lazula merely held her ground, raising Aegis to prepare for his assault. He struck twice, gave the slightest pause as he turned, and lashed out once again with both the blades in his hands and the ones wired to his arms.

Lazula stepped back a bit with each of Sterling's strikes as she watched his movements. This way, she figured, she'd get a sense for his style and wear him out a bit before offering an attack of her own- one single blow to end the match as decisively as possible, preferably.

Sterling wrenched her shield to one side and tumbled to the other, forcing Lazula to use her blade. She flicked away the first blade launched at her and lashed out at his follow-up, channeling just enough of her semblance to make a point. He stumbled back, but managed to sweep a cable around her ankle. She lost her balance, and fell to her back.

Sterling lunged forward, but his blade rotated back to lock onto his forearm. He instead grabbed Lazula's ankle with a look of sick satisfaction. A sudden wave of nausea washed over her but subsided as quickly as it came, all in tandem with a silver wave that worked its way over her body.

Lazula punched the ground with her shield, twisting with all her might and wiping the grin off Sterling's face with an astute kick to the chin as she whipped back up to her feet.

He took a few seconds to recover, during which Lazula charged in with two slashes one after the other, each taking about an eighth of Sterling's aura with it. He replied with a sweeping slash at her legs, causing her to step back and lower her shield.

The twin cables binding blades to his right wrist retracted, and he held a third in his hand. As he sprinted toward her with an animated thrill glinting in his eye, she smirked. The hit was going to be big. A perfect strike to send right back with her semblance. Lazula raised Aegis into the heavy blow, lowering herself as she turned on the balls of her feet and swung with Impetus across and slightly upward, a practiced movement that hadn't yet failed her. Usually, she would feel a sudden rush of energy born inside herself. It would swirl within her as she turned, and rush from core, to chest, to arm with the slash of her sword.

She felt nothing.

Halfway through her swing, Impetus was countered by a wall of steel. Before Lazula could realize what had happened, a pair of blades fired out from Sterling's other arm, spearing her core. As she lay on her back, Sterling blotted out the lights of the stadium, springing onto her with another jab to her shoulder.

"No way!" Caspian cried, nearly springing from his chair in the glass suite. "He blocked her?!"

"That's not right..." Moka noted. "What's going on with her? Why isn't she using her semblance?"

Lazula ripped his blade aside with Impetus, grinding her teeth against the pain as it tore across herself, just under her gorget. Aura of calm precedence all but cast aside, Lazula's focused scowl had hardened into a savage glower. She leapt up to her feet with two ferocious swings to deter him, and prepared her shield as Sterling once again pounced at her with a heavy-handed blow.

Her forceful jab of retaliation was cast aside, and a piercing agony wracked her ribs. She just barely stayed on her feet, holding her side as she gasped for breath.

Sterling cocked his head back with a self-satisfied smile. "What's the matter, can't use your semblance?" he taunted.

"You... _what did you do to me?!_"

He shrugged, that disgusting smile still on his face as he stepped toward her. "I'll let you in on a little secret; I haven't been entirely honest. I _do_ have a semblance, and it lets me block others."

"_What?!_"

"It'll come back," Sterling assured, his feigned care dripping with condescension. "In a few hours. Well after you've already lost."

They clashed again. Sterling's strikes came even faster, to which Lazula could only counter with Aegis. Each time she chanced a blow with Impetus, a skewer of steel met her at an odd angle, and she would grow more desperate.

"Lazula Skye's been untouchable, both in previous tournaments and the one-on-one gauntlet!" Mr. Brown announced. "But now, could it be Sterling with the advantage?"

"This is the first time we've seen Lazula with an aura level lower than her opponent's!" Mrs. Brown added. "Maybe not even in this tournament! Maybe ever!"

"_No._ _I won't lose. I can't lose."_

Lazula's overhead strike met a cross of steel, and her blow was forced back. She parried his next strike with the flat edge of her blade, but as it circled around in preparation for another strike she was met with another unexpected elbow blade, and a slash she just barely blocked in time.

"_I can't lose. I DON'T LOSE._"

It couldn't be happening this way. Even without a semblance, her skill should have been enough to carry her past anyone. But Sterling was faster, and with each misstep, which only came more often as she grew more desperate, he'd strike.

Usually, her aura was a safety net. It was far too strong for one person, and no one could possibly hit her enough to deplete it all. But at that moment, her aura was a curse. She felt the sting of every slash and the agony of every stab- debilitating pain that would fell any other- over and over as the soul-bound shield chipped away.

Lazula braced herself against Sterling's spinning strike, holding both blades off with Impetus before she cast them aside and chanced a jab through him. The attack scraped across the blades on his back as he ducked under, and answered with a jab of his own. Lazula hopped back and blocked his next swing, but her three strikes were danced around with infuriating ease. He grappled her next swing with both blades, wrenching it aside and slamming two more into her the opposite direction.

As Lazula stumbled back in a dazed attempt to gain some distance, Sterling held a palm out to her. With a metallic twang, a blade fired off from his wrist. Lazula swatted it aside with her shield, and sprung forward with a vicious swing. Sterling ducked around it once again, firing another blade off from his other wrist. It missed, but he caught the original in the same hand.

Lazula felt the cord around her ankles, and Sterling wrenched his arm back to trip her up. He leapt into the air, planting one foot on her shield and kicking it aside with the other as he sprung off her.

Her eyes widened to a flash of steel. Sterling let fly with a hail of blades, firing off wrists, palms, legs, and chest until no more sat upon his back. Try as she might to correct her shield and raise her sword as she fell, Lazula felt each piercing blow upon her legs and stomach. One final blade met her back.

She fell onto her knees, then her back.

A silver crescent of spotlight gleamed on the contour of Lazula's chestplate, ebbing and flowing with her frantic gasps for breath. Every inch of her body screamed out in agony, and as much as she wanted to get up, as little as she wanted to admit defeat, it was all she could do to roll onto her side, and curl up.

What hurt most was the humiliation. 'The Indomitable Girl,' the invincible champion who would knock down anything and anyone in her way, had been snuffed out. Extinguished in dramatic fashion on the biggest stage, all in front of Remnant's eyes. She felt for the first time shaky, uncertain. It had to be some mistake. Her defeat was a fluke. Sterling never disclosed his semblance, wasn't that cheating somehow?

The one thing she couldn't do now was cry.

"I CAN'T BELIEVE IT! STERLING PLATTON HAS WON THE VYTAL TOURNAMENT CHAMPIONSHIP!" the announcer thundered. "Lazula Skye has been defeated for the first time _EVER!_" The audience, much like her, sat in stunned silence for a few seconds. Then, a wave of cheer unlike she had ever heard burst forth.

"Nah, this doesn't even feel _real!_" Rowan exclaimed.

"She lost..." Caspian reflected. Much like him, it seemed no one could quite believe it.

Lilly's eyes faltered from the stage to the floor. "Oh, my... I can't imagine she's going to take this well."

Though most surrounded Sterling, cameras and microphones closed in on Lazula's curled form like vultures. She kept her head down, bracing herself upon Impetus as she wobbled back to her feet, and trudged off the side of the stage.

"Lazula! Lazula!" one reporter hounded. Upon seeing her prey press on, she pushed in a bit closer. "How are you feeling after your first ever defeat? What do you think went wrong out there?"

"Fuck off."

"Oh!" the reporter exclaimed, tearing the microphone away. "We- not in the mood for interviews, it seems!" there was an awkward pause, during which the reporter glanced to Lazula with a forced grin, and back to the camera. "Back to you!"

* * *

The stairs up to Lazula's ledge on the holographic podium weren't long enough. The fanfare had hardly settled in the half hour since her fight, and the crowd hadn't gone anywhere. There were just as many people, no doubt chattering on about how the Indomitable Girl wasn't so indomitable after all.

Midas grinned and waved from his third-place spot on the podium, apparently satisfied with his finish. When the strip in front of the stairs lit green as her cue, Lazula dragged her feet up to the ledge. Never had she looked up to anyone on the podium, and it didn't feel right to her. She didn't bother masking her disappointment, but she couldn't bear to look into the camera that showed her face to the world.

She could have sworn she heard laughter from somewhere in the audience as the silver metal was lowered around her neck.

"...And your champion, of the 60th Vytal Tournament, Sterling Platton!" the Academy League President cheered.

The audience followed his lead. Lazula's only solace was knowing she was no longer the focus of the horde of drones circling overhead. She could feel Sterling's smug gaze on her for a few seconds, before it returned to the cameras.

The hard-light dust barriers between the arena and the audience, and those above the stadium flashed red, and a confused hush fell over the crowd.

Lazula finally looked up. The League President's eyes darted between the three finalists in a frenzy, then up at the massive screen to the stadium's East side. On it, video of a container ship in the bay, the smoking silhouette of Seacrest Bridge as its backdrop.

"We interrupt the broadcast of the 60th Vytal Tournament to bring you breaking news out of Port Cyrreine," the measured voice of a newscaster announced. "A container ship reported to be carrying supplies for Frontline Biomedical has been hijacked, and diverted into Cyrreine Bay. The anarchist group 'Red Claw,' believed to be connected to the recent resurgence in Grimm attacks, have overtaken Seacrest Bridge, and have mounted what are believed to be anti-aircraft guns at three locations. All residents are urged to stay inside, and stay clear of the immediate area."

An awful cacophony of terror replaced the cheers, nearly as loud as before. Those in the stands worked themselves into a frenzy, mashing together and toppling over each other with nowhere to run. An alarm began to blare, one Lazula had heard only once before during the attack on the entrance exam.

Headmaster Skye's brow had stitched to his eyes, and he paced back and forth in the suite overlooking the hysteric masses. He held Holoband to his chin, placing call after call. At the corner of the suite, Douglas Hudson watched the chaos pensively, the inch-thick glass apparently enough distance from it all.

"Set threat level to five. If a _single_ Creature of Grimm is seen, move it to eight immediately," the Headmaster demanded. His sternness could easily have been mistaken for anger. "Do _not _let anyone into or out of Sentinel Stadium, apart from those with _direct_ permission from me. Understand?"

He flicked the call aside, taking another. "This is the order you told me about, right? The shipment of 3rd gen BCS's?"

His brow furrowed deeper as he heard the reply.

"I'm going to send my huntsmen to help evacuate the viewing parties to places deeper in campus. There has to be five-thousand people out there, so I'll need help from some of your Organds."

"I'm deactivating the auto-locks in all classroom buildings over half a mile from the water," Headmistress Skye added, fingers hurrying across a holographic screen.

The Headmaster nodded in thanks, and returned to his call. "I'll send him and Team MDLN onto the ship to apprehend their leader, and have a couple more teams retake the bridge. We should have enough manpower to manage that."

"Hey," Douglas called.

"What is it?"

Douglas indicated the roof of the stadium with a thumb. It looked as if night had closed in entirely, but the dimming sky had been blocked out by a swarm of black wings, their owners screaming by and ripping at the hard-light barrier with talons and beaks.

"Might wanna go ahead and crank up that threat level."


	35. State of Emergency

More sirens joined the choir, until every one in the stadium screamed in alert and strobed the color of blood. Caspian hadn't experienced any Grimm attacks first-hand since the beginning of the school year, and as far as he knew, Team LSLI's mission to the warehouse was the only other confirmed sighting since. While he spent the school year learning of historical attacks, species of Grimm and exactly how to kill them, he had long forgotten the reality of it all- the mass panic radiating in waves from the crowd in the stadium, the screams of Grimm and human alike, and the massive, savage beasts that knew only death.

Like clockwork, Caspian's heart began to pound. His throat swelled until he could barely breathe, and every part of his body began to shiver.

"Incoming Grimm attack. Threat level: eight," the automated alert system reported, cold voice booming over the alarm. The roof of the stadium began to enclose, shutting out the swarm of winged beasts overhead. "Please remain calm, and do not leave the seating area."

"_Remain calm?_" Caspian reflected. "_How the hell are we supposed to remain calm?_"

To his side, Cattleya's eyes were frozen in fear, but Caspian could do little to console her. Moka leaned against a wall, pressing a hand to one ear and placing a call to her mom. Lilly sat off to the side, closing her eyes and wringing the edges of her skirt as she attempted to quell her own nerves enough to use her semblance. The only one with any trace of calm was Snow, but there never was any telling what was actually going on behind that blank, unflinching mask of hers.

There was an unspoken understanding in the room that, as the academy trainees that happened to be most closely related to the school's Headmaster, they would be the first ones called. Still, the fight with the Bullfiend came back to Caspian's mind. Its tar-like drool, its guttural, chortling growl, and the stench of rot on its breath. How a desperate, last-ditch effort had been the only thing to pull him off the brink of death. He was at a huntsman academy, but as far as he knew when he enrolled, the Grimm had been extinct for almost thirty years. He didn't care to fight them ever again, and kept a guilty hope that maybe, just maybe, the school had enough Organds and huntsmen to deal with the attack.

A call from the Headmaster shot it down.

"Caspian. Meet Lazula and I in front of the locker rooms with your team and hers. I'm choosing you to help sort this out."

"A-Alright," Caspian choked. His sigh quivered with his beating heart as he looked up to his friends. "Cat, Moka, you guys can stay here. You should be safe in this room."

Moka shook her head, and bounded to the door. "No way. You guys are down a teammate, so I'll fill in."

"The Creatures of Grimm _will_ kill you. I was lucky I escaped when I fought them last," Caspian reminded.

"I've made up my mind, and I'm coming with. My family is safe for now but I need to help make sure the attack doesn't spread," Moka insisted. "Cat, you coming?"

"No, I think I'm staying here."

Caspian nodded, and held her. "When things are taken care of, I'll call you. Love you."

"Love you too."

Caspian sealed his departure with a kiss, before turning to everyone else in the room with the best imitation of courage he could muster. "Alright. Let's do this."

* * *

Lazula's shadow flashed across the walls of the concrete corridor, outlined in blinding white and red as she trudged toward the locker room staunchly ignorant to the lights. She kept her head down and her sword sheathed, pressing forward and figuring out how to ride the whole damn thing out.

"Lazula."

Her father's voice halted her. She balled a fist and stifled a grimace, turning around to him.

The Headmaster appeared at the mouth of the corridor, silhouetted against the gleam of crimson pouring in from the stadium. As he stepped toward her, the light of the hallway's alarms flashed across his glasses. "We need your help. The Red Claw has taken over Seacrest Bridge. They've taken potential hundreds hostage, and Grimm are swarming the city."

"You have huntsmen," Lazula pointed out. "Where is Mr. Verdi? Or Mrs. Kurayami?"

"Helping with evacuation."

"Organds?" Lazula stubbornly continued. "I heard you sent for more after those airships were stolen."

"We didn't predict an attack on this scale. Organds are helping with evacuation, and there will be some on either end of the bridge to ensure you don't end up surrounded." He flicked on his Holoband to check on a map of the stadium. "Caspian is bringing his teammates and yours here as we speak."

"...So I don't have a choice."

"Being a huntsman isn't about winning tournaments, Lazula. It's about saving lives."

Lazula's fist tightened again. She could think of a few choice replies, but held them back. Several steps of hurried footsteps and urgent voices heralded the arrival of Caspian's team and hers.

"Thanks for bringing them here," Headmaster Skye addressed. His eyes scanned the huntsmen-in-training before settling on Caspian. "Where's Noxis?"

Caspian shrugged. "I haven't seen him since our match," he answered. "...We don't get along all that well."

"I'm stepping in instead!" Moka added.

The Headmaster nodded. "Hm. Chino, wasn't it? Moka Chino?"

"That's me!"

"Well, thank you. We'll need all the strength we can get."

As Caspian strapped into his combat outfit, then followed a team of Organds to the waters' edge to board the sleek, crescent-shaped Swallow-Class submersible, his father's instructions echoed in his head. "_As you've heard, the Red Claw has taken over Seacrest Bridge. I've already dispatched Team MDLN to the cargo ship to apprehend the Red Claw's commander, so I'm leaving the bridge to you. Team LSLI will start at the South end, and work their way North. Team CRLN is to start at the North, and move South until the two teams meet. Ensure the safety of the civilians on the bridge, and take out the two anti-aircraft guns the Red Claw has mounted. Expect fierce resistance, from Red Claw and Grimm alike. You have full permission to use your weapons_."

* * *

The deep blue world beneath the surface, lit only by the front lights of the submersible, was deceptively still. All within the sleek, oblong bubble of a cabin were silent; the only sounds being the buzz of machinery coming from the controls, and the occasional radio transmission. A school of small fish flittered by the window, completely unaware the surface was under attack by hideous beasts the world had been much better off without.

The glass dome broke the surface and slid apart as the Swallow-Class sub connected with a dock in the shadow of Seacrest Bridge. The world suddenly exploded with sound; silence broken by alarms and screeches, and shouts of fear and rage. Caspian took a second to watch the sky as his teammates joined him outside the ship.

"You've landed, correct?" the Headmaster's voice asked through his Holoband. A high-fidelity simulation of the area projected from it in countless lines of azure blue. A cluster of dots moved along a line, from the dock and across the road, up a hill and finally onto the bridge. "I've sent directions to your Holoband. Unfortunately with the Red Claw's weapons and all the roadblocks we've set up, we can't take you any closer than this. I'll be monitoring both you and Lazula. Good luck."

Good luck, and directions. All Caspian had in his fight against the Creatures of Darkness.

A fishery supply and some kind of boating club sat along the road crossing under Seacrest Bridge, but both looked closed, and all but forgotten for the day. A scratching of claws and a nasty snarl caught Caspian's attention as he stepped off the sidewalk. Three Beowolves. Not particularly big, but as he learned in Grimm Studies, what the smaller ones lacked in raw power, they made up for in unbridled savagery.

Caspian pulled Undertow from his back, metal twisting and locking into place as he lined up the barrel of his gun. He managed to knock one down by the time he transformed his weapon back into a sword. Lilly whipped Elysian Bloom back and forth, casting a layer of ice across the pavement. One Beowolf lost its footing, catapulting directly into an uppercut from Moka. Sparks surrounded her legs as she sprung after its faltering form and landed two more punches. The other monster leapt at the faunus with a roar and wild swing of its claws. As Caspian finished off Moka's original foe, she hopped back and Rowan stepped forward, cleaving off an arm of the third with Sanguine Storm. Lilly whipped her umbrella around, the ice on the street following her and shooting upward in a series of spires to impale the beast.

"Why can't we trade Noxis for you?" Caspian managed to joke. "We could be Team CRML."

"Or if Moka's leader, we could be Team MCRL!" Rowan added

"Like, mackerel? The fish?" Moka asked with a tilt of the head. "I think I'd prefer caramel. Caspian makes a fine leader anyway."

"Either way, we wouldn't have to deal with Noxis," Rowan replied, heaving his sword back to its sheath and beginning to work his way up the hill.

"I've never met the guy. He's that punk-rock-lookin' dog faunus, right? Is he really so bad?"

"Huge jerk," Rowan confirmed.

"He has a point sometimes," Caspian recognized. "He's just... not very nice about making it." He shook his head. "Let's not think about him too much. Grimm will feed off that."

Caspian and the rest fought off a few more Grimm on their way to the top of the hill, all handled with as much ease as the horrible beasts would allow. At the top of the hill, where a main road intersected with the oncoming traffic from the bridge, two lines totaling what must have been fifty uniformed androids blocked the way. At the mouth of the bridge, the remains of a truck still smoldered amidst a gridlock of abandoned and wrecked cars. To the North, the main promenade lined with usually-lively restaurants, bars, and small storefronts, all nestled in the first few stories of mid-rise apartment complexes, sat empty. Still, lights from inside bathed the street, and at the nearest restaurant, a neon sign proudly declared it open.

"Hey, think we should check on those places?" Caspian asked. "Lazula probably won't have an issue making it up here. There could be a lot of people in there..."

His Holoband blinked to life once more. "There's no need for that. Stick to the plan," Headmaster Skye insisted.

"No need for that? What do you mean?"

"Strange as it is, the Grimm attack is almost entirely localized to the bay. We've already ensured the safety of those in surrounding areas, and the androids are equipped to deal with any Grimm that may enter the city."

"_Odd_," Caspian thought. "_If anything, there should be more people further from the bay, in the city's center. More people, more panic, more Grimm._"

It was almost as if someone were controlling them.

Caspian, Rowan, Moka, and Lilly continued past the Red Claw's makeshift barricade and found themselves in an entirely different world. Emergency lights flashed from each pair of headlights. Ursa, Beowolves, and an assortment of other small Grimm tore through the packed streets. Screeching beasts of darkness blotted out the sky; Nevermore, Griffons, and another Caspian had heard of during the unit on Vacuoan Grimm. The Anzuraze, bony mane and face of a lion, with the body, talons, and wings of a massively oversized eagle.

A burst of sound like a bout of rolling thunder just overhead nearly made Caspian's knees buckle. One of the Anzuraze, wingspan the width of both lanes, opened its mouth as it screamed past, letting loose a breath of napalm over the street. Lilly held out an arm to beckon the others back, before opening the cover of Elysian Bloom to tame the radiant torrent. It gathered in a ball above her parasol and she flung it off the side of the bridge, melting the wings of an oncoming Nevermore.

A shattering of glass and a bout of horrified screams drew Caspian's attention away from the shots he fired into the sky. Four cars ahead, a Beowolf's snapping jaws filled the passenger's side of a blue SUV. The man in the driver's side window was sealed to the opposite door, shouting and kicking for his life. Caspian aimed Undertow and fired three flaming shots into the beast's side, drawing its head out of the vehicle. If Caspian didn't know Grimm any better, he would have thought the fierce look in the Grimm's beady red eyes to be a mixture of rage and confusion. He sprinted forward, slashing twice across its chest with his unsteady blade before the beast faded away.

He turned to what remained of the window. "Is everyone alright?"

"Y-Yeah. Th-Thank you," the man sputtered.

Caspian looked into the back seat, where a tiny child cried next to a pile of broken glass. "Is it just the two of you in here?"

The man nodded, and Caspian pulled around to the front license plate. "Dark blue SUV. Plate number RNP2191. One adult male, one child," he poked into the notes of his Holoband. He returned to the man. "You'll be safest in here. I've accounted for you, so as soon as we clear out the Grimm, we'll send a team of Organds to get you."

With Moka's fists and Rowan's wildly swinging blade at the vanguard, and Lilly keeping watch over him, Caspian continued accounting for each vehicle he could. A family of four in the white four-door, license plates SND4519. A couple going out for a night on the town after watching the tournament at home. Red hatchback, plates VJB5229. Just one man making a delivery in the white big-rig, plate number FTP1200. Those that were particularly panicked- not that Caspian could fault them for it- got a dose of Lilly's semblance.

He just hoped they would still be there to rescue when the androids came for them.

Rowan held off the swing of an Ursa with the flat of his blade, then pushed it back and swung into its gut. The beast let loose a roar, the gash in its stomach apparently not enough to end it. Rowan dodged around its heavy swing and turned with the momentum of his blade, channeling his strength-boosting semblance into his arms as he tore down the creature's side. He glanced aside to two pairs of jaws closing in on him. He grinned, steadied his grip and lowered the tip of his blade toward the two Beowolves. It folded back and his sword widened, crimson sparks dancing around the newly-presented barrel.

The claws of one more shredded the hood of a truck as it pounced at Rowan. Moka sprung up to slam its jaw with a forceful uppercut. A small bolt of dust, glowing like a blacklight, caught under its chin, and Moka fired a second from her other gauntlet into the ground in front of the red-haired huntsman. The Beowolf flung like a ragdoll into the concrete, the two bolts of gravity dust crashing together.

As his weapon burst with focused energy, all three Beowolves evaporated.

"Hey! I think I see one of those aircraft guns!" Moka called, pointing down to something on the far side of the tour bus she landed on.

The claws of a Beowolf met Caspian's armguard. He couldn't quite hold them back, and its steel edge smacked painfully against his forehead before he hopped back to blow out the beast's knee, and shove Undertow into its nearing jaws. He let out a shaky breath, and looked up to her.

"Where is it?"

"The base of the tower there!" Moka explained.

Caspian walked around the side of the bus, and instantly saw what Moka pointed to. At the base of the bridge's tower, next to a black moving truck with its back emptied out, two sleek barrels reflected the headlights behind them, aiming to the sky above the bay. A handful of dark figures stood around it in callous serenity, the Ursa and Beowolves scratching past, and ignored by the demons above.

"HEY!" one of the silhouettes shouted. Caspian winced as its shoulders squared up to his, and it pulled something from its back. A bat, a pipe, or a blunt sword, he couldn't tell.

"WE'VE GOT HUNTSMEN!"


	36. Beithyr

As soon as the dome of the Swallow-Class submersible opened, the sharp, heavy odors of smoke and gasoline filled Lazula's lungs. Port Cyrreine kept up appearances as a clean city, but the Southern edge of the bay was always covered in a half-inch thick slick of oil, its dreamy hues of pink and blue mirroring the wall of neon above. The terraced stairs up from the port to the boardwalk, usually filled with tourists, families, couples, and beggars, was empty.

Empty, aside from the trio of Ursa barreling toward the group.

Lazula raised Aegis as Snow, Laurel, and Ichigo all let loose with a rain of steel and dust. Lazula punched her shield aside with the weight of the first bear's swing, following up with a cleave across its chest. She swung back upward, tearing open its neck and jaw before slamming into the second with her full weight. She pulled Aegis aside and replaced it with a jab through the beast's neck, holding it still for a spray of shots from Snow and Ichigo. Her head snapped around as the third roared and lunged at her with arms outstretched in a malicious hug. She felt the monster's claws whip past her head as she tumbled under its attack and landed on her feet, then twisted around to cleave its back with four swings of her blade, each more savage than the last.

She panted as she watched the three beasts faded to nothingness.

The four continued up the stairs with Lazula at the helm. Snow and Laurel fired into the sky, picking off any of the flying demons that dared come too close to the bridge. Finally, they made it to street level. The conjunction of the boardwalk and the bridge was one of the city's busiest intersections, but each car not stuck on the bridge was abandoned halfway through its attempted evacuation.

"_GRIMM!_" a woman shrieked some distance from Lazula's ear.

She ground her teeth. "_Yes, I know there are Grimm_," she bitterly snapped to herself. "_That's why I'm here_."

Still, she figured she'd better check on the woman. She turned her head, looking to the corner she was sure she had heard the shout from.

The street, and the lifted pedestrian walkways above, were barren. The neon lights of each tower still shone in all their usual vibrance, without a single soul to cast their shadow.

"_Must've been a weird ad. Or maybe the news story_," Lazula forced on herself. After all, the Holoscreens hovering above each storefront and painting the side of each overpass displayed news of the attack. That simply had to be the case.

"Did you hear something?" Snow inquired.

Lazula paused, eyes flicking between the puzzled looks on each of her teammates' faces before shaking her head and stiffening her lip. "No. Nothing." She pointed ahead to the bridge. "Let's go."

As soon as Lazula, dozens of beady red eyes set upon her all at once. The Beowolves and Hellhounds- the real-life equivalent to the wolf-like animatronics her team fought during initiation, banded together to form a single savage pack.

The biggest of the pack howled, and LSLI was set upon by a horde of Grimm.

With Ichigo frozen in place, and Laurel and Snow tearing through the horde with gunshots, Lazula charged headlong into the shadows. A Beowolf leapt from the hood of a car, but instead of flesh its jaws met the edge of Aegis, and the beast was discarded across the concrete. She looked up, to more beasts tearing down the street between the lanes. She slashed and jabbed through the chest of the first, skewering the second as the first began to fade away. She ripped her blade from its chest and leapt into the air, feeling a morbid satisfaction as she tore head from neck. Another took its place. Lazula slammed Aegis down on its head, then used it to spring up and over, tearing down its back before cutting across its waist and impaling the next.

Fighting the Grimm after her match with Sterling was nearly cathartic. One after another, the dumb beasts lined up to meet their end on the tip of her blade or the edge of her shield. Each simple victory, each shadow fading from the night, eased her mind. If _this_ is what being a huntsman was about, it was damn easy.

Snow's hard-light bullets pelted the pack of Hellhounds, smoking deep within their black flesh. Laurel split the beasts' bony heads with each thunderous shot, wrenching her gun's lever and lining up her sights over and over to thin their numbers.

"Help! Get- GET AWAY!" a woman screamed. Snow's head snapped around, to a raven-haired woman whose pocket knife did little to the muzzle of the Beowolf whose jaws locked around her ankle.

Snow whipped around Absolute Zero's handle, and its two barrels collapsed before extending into a luminous whip. It cracked at the Beowolf's knee with a flash of light, dropping it to the concrete. The woman freed her ankle and kicked at the Grimm before limping away, letting Snow's weapon sink into its back.

Snow first looked around to ensure no Grimm were near, then turned to the woman. "Are you alright?"

She looked shaken up, but mostly unharmed. "Y-Yes, I'm fine. Good thing I've unlocked my aura."

Snow nodded, before leaving the woman to strike across the chest of another wolf. She ducked under its claws and slashed in one movement, before reversing her momentum to slash once more. She turned and struck out with her handle as if to attack its disintegrating form a third time, but her blade lengthened once again to whip through the hide of an Ursa like a twirling ribbon, taking both arms before the creature finally perished.

Another of Laurel's ear-splitting shots rang out. A Nevermore flailed weakly before crashing into the guardrail and falling to the bay below. One Beowolf dropped with a shot to the head, then another.

Ichigo yelped from beside her.

His hatchet was between the jaws of a Hellhound, which shook him like caught prey. He slammed into the ground, Hack n' Slash's handle still miraculously held in his white-knuckle grip. The hellish creature leapt onto him, pinning his shoulder down with a heavy claw and snapping at his neck. Ichigo whipped his hatchet desperately across the beast's jaw. Its head snapped back, but Ichigo looked as if he was going to be sick. The beast's lower jaw hung on by a single tract of twisted black flesh, leaving behind a smear of tarry drool as it dragged across his chest.

Laurel stepped in, heaving the wolf from Ichigo's body with her axe before pulling a pistol from her belt and sinking four shots into its side.

"Saving me again, huh?" Ichigo mumbled, adjusting his glasses. "Thanks."

"You would have been fine without me," Laurel assured. "I just sped things up a bit."

Team LSLI pressed on, cutting down Grimm and clearing out the Red Claw on their march down the bridge. The squad of Red Claw members surrounding the anti-aircraft gun was taken out even easier than the Grimm, allowing for Ichigo to easily disable the massive weapon. Near the bridge's halfway point, there was a break in traffic just before a truck sitting askew across both lanes.

"What is _that?!"_ a bespectacled man screamed, trembling arm pointing from the shattered drivers' side window of his minivan. Lazula looked behind herself just in time to see the tip of a stark, spindly tail- what must have been twenty feet long, by her guess- slither over the side. A King Taijitu? Couldn't be. With both heads meeting in the middle, they didn't have tails.

"Come on, out- out!" the man decided, flinging open his door and waving to the passenger and back seats. A woman about his age nervously followed, as well as his teenage son.

"No, please!" Lazula ordered. "Stay in your car. You'll be safer in there. I can take care of this."

"Whoa... that's Lazula Skye..." the son marvelled. He nodded. "We'll be okay."

Lazula felt an acute rumble travel from one side of the bridge to the other, accompanied by scraping and the twang of something hard colliding with the metal trusses and supports beneath the street.

An unsettling sight clawed its way back over the side of the bridge nearest Lazula. The almost sickly reptilian Grimm had what looked like the skull of a wolf for a head- a wolf that would have stood well over twice Lazula's height at the shoulder. She would have preferred a gleaming red eye in each socket, but the dark pits on the side of its head looked hollow, soulless. A single horn protruded from its forehead, meeting the spine of its long, lithe body that twisted nimbly despite its full cover of bony armor, and the two sail-like fins born at its shoulder and trailing down its back. Its long, whiplike tail was last over the bridge, settling to the ground as the monstrosity stared down Lazula.

Even the handful of Red Claw members Snow, Laurel and Ichigo held off paused in fear, and ran from the bridge.

"Good question..." Laurel noted, holding Snake Eyes close as she backed off slowly. "What _is _that?"

Snow stared down the aberrant beast. "It appears to be a Beithyr, a Grimm only rarely seen in the past. Native to mountains and caves everywhere besides Atlas."

Whatever it was, and wherever it came from, mattered little to Lazula. All that mattered was its place in her way, and the excitement budding up within her. The Beowolves were far too easy, after all. How could she prove herself against them when they fell with a single swing of her blade? If she ripped the monstrosity in two, saving the lives of all who watched her, surely Sterling's fluke victory would be forgotten.

She hoisted Impetus to the ready, and charged the monster.

* * *

Moka's tail flapped back and forth violently as she perched atop the bus watching the Red Claw charge forward. The bus rocked as she sprung up from her spot, flame coating her forearm as she cocked it back, and slammed into the ground with a semblance-enhanced fist. A handful of Red Claw goons, marked by their thrashed black jackets and red half-face masks painted with the jaws of a black beast, were knocked back.

A grungy-looking man with a crooked smile and a hyena's ears swung a spiked bat at Moka's head. She ducked toward him, grabbing the base of his weapon and wrenching him forward into an elbow and a backhanded swing of the bat she grappled away. She shot a bolt of gravity dust from one glove into the forehead of a charging stag, slapping another to the bat with her other and flinging it forward to let the two bolts connect.

Another masked faunus, this time with some kind of fin, swung a metal pipe as a third came at her with a knife. The pipe glinted with the light of the street as Moka hopped back, grappling the knife's owner at wrist and neck. She twisted the knife from her hand with a crack and a jolt of electricity from her gauntlet, spinning around to use the faunus as a shield against the pipe before discarding her on the sidewalk and knocking the pipe-wielder to the floor with a jab at the gut and a hook to the jaw.

Caspian paused, allowing a second to realize Moka had already knocked out four Red Claw. He aimed his gun at the grunts, sliding his thumb along the groove on the side of the barrel until it glowed a soft yellow. He squeezed the trigger, hoping each of them had unlocked their aura.

No matter the fact they were out for blood, he couldn't bring himself to do anything besides some mildly painful, but temporary, incapacitation. Moka came to mind. She was a faunus, after all. One that resented Frontline with as much bitterness as her kind heart would allow. Had she taken a wrong turn somewhere, made one wrong decision, he could be fighting her now.

Caspian's bolts of electric dust worked like a long-range taser, immobilizing the Red Claw in just a few shots each, and allowing Rowan and Moka to move forward as Lilly secured their enemies in place with shackles of ice.

A deafening bang like a crack of thunder resounded through the bay, pounded Caspian's chest and threatened to buckle his knees. A shot screamed past his head and chipped the sidewalk some distance behind him, continuing on before clanking noisily on the side of the bridge and falling into the water.

Caspian dropped down, and crawled behind a concrete barricade. "GET TO COVER!" he shouted. His heart, which had managed to settle since stepping onto the bridge, began to pound with renewed fervor. He wasn't sure his aura could hold off a sniper's bullet, and he didn't care to find out.

"I'll take care of it!" Moka offered.

"What?! HOW?"

Before issuing an answer, Moka was on top of a truck. She bounded off its side and caught hold of streetlight, hoisting herself onto an outcropping only a few inches wide. Her tail flitted as she shot a bolt of gravity dust a few feet above, and used it to propel herself up to a bar. She flipped around it like a gymnast, and landed on the sniper's perch, a platform thirty feet above the street. Before the shooter could rack another shot, Moka knocked her off the platform with a boosted right hook.

Lilly whipped Elysian bloom across the street, forming a makeshift slide out of ice. The sniper slid two Caspian's feet; knocked cold, but alive.

"Since when could you do that?" Rowan questioned as Moka returned to the street.

"I do parkour!" she proudly exclaimed. "It's a great workout if you have the stamina. Good for your back, shoulders, arms and legs, _and _it's cardio! Oh, and a lot of fun!"

"Huh. Cool," Rowan recognized. He pointed to the prong of silver barrels jutting a dozen feet off the bridge. "Anyway, that's the gun we were supposed to take back. Should we disable it, or have someone wait here or what?"

Caspian looked to the swirling storm of Grimm still threatening the bridge. He stepped toward the gun.

"Actually, I have an idea."

Caspian sat down in front of a silver desk littered with buttons and switches. The joysticks at right and left hand looked promising.

"...Do you know how to work that thing?" Lilly asked with a hint of apprehension.

"Nope. But the Red Claw was using it to take out police airships, so the Grimm probably won't be much harder." He pulled the right joystick, and the guns rotated left. "Doesn't look like there's any lock on the controls, either."

"Well, your father is yet to discourage you off of it," Lilly reasoned.

"Just in case though, you should probably stand back," Caspian concluded with a nervous laugh.

Caspian pulled the lever back, and the gun's twin barrels skewered the sky. He let out a deep breath, feeling the trigger beneath his finger. It took a firm grip to hold it down, and one even firmer to keep the lever secure in his hand with the vibrato of each beaming shot.

Grimm dropped from the sky; Nevermore, Griffons, and Anzuraze all dissolving before they could disturb the waters' surface. Watching the night sky thin, reclaiming the glow of the moon, was almost fun.

* * *

The Beithyr's claws scratched across Aegis like four hefty daggers. Their weight against Lazula's shield was staggering, but she corrected her bent knees to jab Impetus through a tiny slit at the base of the obscenity's armor. It let out a horrific sound more akin to a harshly whispered squeal than any roar, and twisted to fling Lazula's weapon out of its chest, and out of her hand. She leapt back to retrieve her blade and dodge a horn attack that impaled the concrete at her feet.

"_Sloppy,_" Lazula criticized, eyes narrowing at the hilt of the blade in her hand. "_This damn thing shouldn't be giving me so much trouble._"

The Beithyr's claws scored the street as it neared the car, the family's muffled screams growing louder. The sound of Lazula's boots pounding the pavement drew the black dragon's gaze. It reared back, and slammed its head forward.

Lazula nearly crumpled under the weight of the blow, the force behind the bony horn like that of a speeding truck. _Perfect. _Lazula twirled under its chin to prepare her retort, but as Impetus whirled around, the dread of realization set in.

Her semblance was still blocked.

She felt no energy within her- she lacked the spark she knew meant her semblance was activated. As Impetus met the monster's armored chest, it didn't cleave through. No shockwave tore forth from her blade to rip the horror in two and save the three who watched her with petrified eyes.

Impetus's hilt twisted painfully in Lazula's hand as it bounced off plates of white. The Beithyr clawed her backward and its monstrous whip of a tail whistled through the air to snap on her chest with an ear-splitting crack. Stunned and breathless, Lazula was pitched across two lanes before her boots caught on the cement and she tumbled backward, stopping only when her head dented the door of a white van.

For the first time she could remember, waves of golden aura simmered around her body. Her head spun and her vision greyed at the edges. Until she saw the Beithyr's jagged palm atop the roof of the family's car, she couldn't quite remember what led up to the hit. She staggered to her feet, but after a single step forward, the beast put its full weight upon its arm, and the car was flattened.

Lazula heard the family's final screams cut short.

She dropped back to her knees, breaths jagged, uneasy. Deep red trickled through a gap at the bottom of the crumpled steel, pooling with gasoline upon the concrete. Her remnants of foolish hope died when a stray spark flickered to the ground, and the car erupted in flame.

A lake of blood pooled below her, though she couldn't feel it on her hands. All at once, a tumultuous cloud of voices coalesced at her ears. Whispers and shouts. Misplaced fragments of words and sentences, the traces of conversations long past, churned around her in a dissonant embrace. The final screams of those she had failed, and more from dead she shouldn't recognize, pierced the cloud until she could do naught besides curl up and drive her forehead to the ground until it bled, fingers scratching at her ears.

Then came the visions. Blood streaming down Impetus's tip and onto her hand, soaking her arms as its sweet, metallic odor permeated her nose. Visions of bodies plagued her mind's eye- first within the crumpled car, then of countless corpses littering an icy road. Burned, frozen, impaled, and desecrated.

The screams of Grimm surrounding her she couldn't even be sure were real.


	37. Souls' Lament

"Lazula," the sound of a girl's voice called to her, barely audible above the rumbling murmur of countless ethereal words. "Lazula," it attempted once more. Even and calm, even through the cries of Grimm and hallucinatory screams. Soft and whispery, almost weak. It must have been Snow.

"Lazula. Are you alright?"

Laurel stepped forward to join her. "Hey, what's going on?"

The voices inside subsided, until there was near-silence. Every few seconds, a voice would ring out with a seemingly random half-sentence, as if Lazula heard a few spare words of a conversation in passing. Her eyes hung open, unblinking. She felt a warm, sticky stream run down her forehead and onto the bridge of her nose. She disregarded it, and crimson splattered on her wrist.

"I killed them," She finally muttered. On her knees, she had fallen into a catatonic trance. "I killed them."

"You haven't killed anyone," Snow refuted.

"I killed them."

Laurel's head swiveled back and forth between Lazula and the Beithyr that watched Team LSLI, circling them slowly like prey. "Shit, she hit her head, didn't she?"

Ichigo backtracked until he too stood with Laurel and Snow. Four Beowolves had closed in followed by a fifth which crawled over the hood of an SUV with manic bloodlust in its eye. A trio of Ursa flanked them. A nevermore perched on a streetlight, clicking its beak and ruffling its great black wings. At the far sidewalk, two Boarbatusks, both bigger than the sedan they stood next to, rolled to a stop.

The Beithyr began to slink forward. Laurel eyed the black boars as she stepped out from the group, and fired into the cavity where an eye should have been. Laurel's bullet flew into the blackness, clanking once against bone and rattling around with the slightest twitch of the monstrosity's head. It looked to the faunus, opening its jaw to let her round fall harmlessly to the pavement, still smoking.

Its breathy wheeze began again. Over and over, in an unsettling imitation of laughter.

Ichigo looked on the verge of passing out as he stared down the approaching shadows "A-Are we going to die here?"

Snow stood up from her kneel at Lazula's side, pulling Absolute Zero from its spot at her hip. "No. Both of you, take care of the smaller Grimm. Keep them off Lazula. She's drawing them in, and her aura is gone."

"You can't take that thing alone!" Laurel contested.

Snow's eyes met with the abysses on each side of the Beithyr's skull, and her weapon's light flashed across the pale skin of her cheek. "This is the best option. I'll come up with something."

Before Laurel could protest, Snow ran ahead. The shots from her rifle bounced off its bony plates, and it lashed at her with its whip of a tail. It whistled past as she tumbled to the side, shattering the windshield of a nearby car. She barely dodged a second time as the wail whipped around, obliterating a Beowolf. Absolute Zero glowed in the night as Snow strode forward to slash across the beast's arm twice. Both strikes glanced off its armor, and the Beithyr replied with two lunging claw strikes. Snow dove under the first, but the second caught her midair and sent her tumbling across the street.

Mid-tumble, she planted a hand on the ground and sprung back to her feet, clutching where the claws met her chest and eyeing the aura bar on her Holoband. Another tail whip, lashed back by Absolute Zero. She swung back around, looping her barbed whip around the Beithyr's neck and wrenched it down toward the pyre that once was a van.

The Beithyr wheezed with effort as it buried its front foot in the concrete and resisted Snow. The soles of her boots ground on the pavement as it pulled her back. When she finally lost her footing, Snow's eyes widened for a split second. She hardly had time to plant a foot before the flame to spring over it, shoving aside the Beithyr's incoming horn strike with a blow from her axe. Concrete shrapnel rained over the street as its head pulled up from the cracked asphalt, and it followed up with a smashing blow with one of its claws.

Snow shuddered with effort under the weight of the Beithyr's arm, eyes glowing an ardent blue under her stitched brow as they watched where her axe met the Grimm's hand. She leapt back as she disengaged her weapon, letting the beast's hand shatter the ground. She sidestepped a horn strike that would have pinned her to the street, and another lunging claw.

Absolute Zero flashed with life once again, and she lassoed one of the fins protruding from the monster's shoulder. Its pull away accomplished Snow's goal of lifting into the air, and mounting its craggy back. The huntress's eyes flitted between the various clefts and protrusions between and upon its armored plates, finally settling on the sliver of black behind its underarm.

Then, her eyes flicked wider. Its tail had wrapped her waist.

She was at the Beithyr's mercy as it wrapped her arms to her stomach, flinging her back like a ragdoll, then forward into the street. Her back slammed into the ground some fifteen feet below, and she recovered a foot or two of the height with her bounce. She cried out in pain when she hit the first time, then again as she landed back on the concrete face-down.

"You okay?!" Laurel questioned, pulling away from Snake Eyes's scope.

Snow was shaky to her feet. "My aura's holding," she replied. Her eyes flicked up from her Holoband to the Grimm. "I've come up with something."

"Go ahead."

"The Beithyr is armored over most of its body, but there's a small gap where its front leg meets its shoulder. The gap should grow if I hold its arm off at a certain angle, which I can do for roughly four and a half seconds, in which time you will fire into this gap."

"So... we kill it by blasting into its armpit?" Laurel checked.

"Fire once. Twice, if you can. Just to weaken it. Then, I pull it into the fire. With an injured arm it won't be able to fight me off as it did before."

Laurel nodded, and slung Snake Eyes over her back. "I'll try."

Snow charged in on the beast again, Absolute Zero's axe configuration at her side. Her eyes flicked to Laurel, who was busy bringing her own axe over the neck of a Beowolf, and not yet in position. Claws whistled past Snow's head as she tumbled under its strike, and focused the Beithyr's attention with an axe-swing to its arm. The Grimm ripped Snow's attack back before bringing down another hand, each claw a cutlass.

Snow spun with the momentum of the Beithyr's attack, bending her knees and bracing herself for impact. The claw slammed down and threatened to crunch Snow underneath, but she resisted.

After an eternity of pure exertion, a booming shot shook the bridge. The Beithyr's arm gave out and Snow swatted it away with her axe, before flipping over backward surrounded by the hard-light of her configuring whip. As soon as it flashed a solid light blue, she flung her weapon around the Beithyr's neck and heaved.

It attempted to resist, but the leg nearest Snow, the one in which Laurel's shot met its mark, crumpled. Apparently finding another opening, a second shot blasted the monstrosity's hip, and one of its back legs went limp as well.

The gangly skeleton of a Grimm thrashed and heaved against the flame, its one good arm raking shards from the street, its tail reeling violently across all four lanes. After its tail blew out the streetlights above in its reckless thrashing, the still-ablaze van and a few stray headlights were the only illumination. Within the flame, the Beithyr fought less and less wickedly, until its black essence joined the smoke rising above the road.

Snow panted, watching the beast disappear. Her weapon went limp, and she disabled it.

"It worked," Laurel reflected. Her surprised look brightened. "It worked!"

Snow suddenly snapped back to animation. "We're not safe yet. We need to get Lazula away from here."

Lazula remained on her knees, as if the fight against the Beithyr had never happened. Her breaths were ragged, uneven pleads for air. Her heart beat in her throat, making it near impossible to swallow or speak. Every stray couple of seconds, an ethereal shout or a voice she knew wasn't true would echo through her mind.

A display flashed in the air in front of Lazula. In a window that expanded from the old-fashioned phone icon, the Headmaster's face appeared.

"Your aura's dropped. What happened?" he questioned.

"...I killed them."

The Headmaster's brow furrowed. "What? What are you talking about?"

Another scream shook Lazula. Then, a woman's voice. "She's killed them! Oh, Gods! She's killed them!"

Lazula broke down with a gasp, clenching the hair at the sides of her head and huddling down like a feeble child. A sob shook her. "I told them... to stay in the car," she whimpered. "They're dead. I killed them."

"Lazula's been injured," Snow answered for her. "We've eliminated a powerful Creature of Grimm, but Lazula is no longer in any state to fight."

The Headmaster swore. "Well, since you've freed up the anti-aircraft guns, I can send an airship. Stay there. I'll have Caspian's team meet you."

Back in the Stadium's suite, Headmaster Skye looked beyond the Holographic screens reflected in his glasses and to the stands below. The situation had calmed little. There were fewer Grimm in the sky, sure. But spectators had fallen into one of two crowds; those who stood in masses at the exits, pounding and begging to be let free, and the resigned, who stayed in their seats, weeping and clutching the ones they had come in with.

"What happened to Lazula?" Mrs. Skye asked. The edges of her dress had been wrinkled by her fidgeting, and stained by her sweat.

"I don't know. Her aura is depleted, so I'm finding someone to retrieve her."

"She didn't have the chance to recover from her match. She shouldn't have been out there in the first place!"

"She's the best huntress at Sentinel Academy by far, maybe even on Remnant right now. Even at fifteen percent, she has more aura than anyone else we have out there."

"And we've still never told her why," Mrs. Skye snapped. "She didn't look like she was in her right mind. It could be why."

"There's no use in speculation." The Headmaster concluded. He swept a screen aside with his fingers, poked an icon, and a second. A picture of Midas's face appeared onscreen, replaced in a few seconds by a live image.

"Headmaster! What's up?"

"We've run into some unexpected obstacles on the bridge. Can you spare any teammates?"

Midas grimaced. "...Actually, I was just about to ask if any of them can help out on the ship," he answered. "We ran into Python a bit ago, she was able to hold off and now she's holed up somewhere below deck."

"I see. I'll send someone else," Headmaster Skye stated. He bowed his head for a few seconds, staring blankly at the desk between his hands. He looked back to the screen. "You've taken over the bridge of the ship, right?"

"Yep! Red Claw was holding some of the crew hostage up there. We've taken care of it," Midas reported.

"Good. Pull back, and get back to the crew. I'll have the ship steered to the bridge, and drop in a few reinforcements." The Headmaster looked over a projected map of the bridge and bay, four blinking dots on the bridge nearing four more. He tapped the four still dots, and blue light rippled like disturbed water. "I've sent you the drop location. They should be there any minute now."

* * *

Snow knelt next to Lazula, gently taking her arm over her shoulder and helping her to her feet. Lazula slumped against her struggling partner, knees weak. Then she realized. Lilly, Caspian, and the rest would be coming soon. It was bad enough her team saw her like this. No one else would. After the day, all she wanted was to be alone, far away from eyes and expectations.

Yet, with the countless voices speaking out within her mind, she wasn't sure being alone was possible anymore.

Lazula shrugged off Snow's arm, and dropped back to the street. She couldn't meet Snow's gaze.

"Leave me here."

"It's far too dangerous. You're still attracting Grimm."

"I don't want them to see me."

Lazula felt Snow's eyes upon her, narrowing in what must have been concern. Blue. Snow's eyes were white when they first met. Since when were they so blue? She looked around to the night-black wings still circling the bridge, then back down to Lazula. "I... I'm sorry. I don't understand," she finally admitted. "But I can't leave you alone here. I'll stay with you."

* * *

Caspian thinned out the night sky considerably, until the gun's barrels glowed with heat, and the weapon ran dry of dust. He couldn't figure out how to change it, and even if he did, the reserve ammunition was nowhere to be found. He took down a handful more Grimm with Rowan, Moka, and Lilly, and continued recording people and plate numbers on his way down the bridge, until he saw Laurel and Ichigo between the lanes of stopped traffic.

Lilly looked between Laurel and Ichigo, then between the lines of stalled vehicles as she jogged forward. "Where's Lazula?"

"We ran into this... thing," Laurel began. "It's only thanks to Snow we're all okay. It hit Lazula pretty hard-"

"Is she okay?!" Lilly interrupted.

"She's out of aura, so the Headmaster sent someone to get her."

"And what about Snow?" Caspian continued.

"Back with Lazula. She's staying with her until the airship shows up."

"Does this mean we're done?" Caspian questioned, looking up to the sky. "We met up, but there are still plenty of Grimm..."

His Holoband blinked to life, and the Headmaster projected into the middle of the crowd. "Not quite yet," he advised. "Team MDLN ran into trouble trying to apprehend the Red Claw's leader. I'm having Midas pull the ship toward the bridge, and I'm sending a few of you in as reinforcements."

Caspian sighed, but nodded. Unease settled into his gut. If Midas's team was having trouble with the Red Claw's leader, what good would he be? He swallowed hard, and looked to his father's projection.

"Alright. Are we all going?"

The Headmaster's holographic head shook. "Only a few. Lilly's semblance will be useful on the bridge, and Laurel's stronger at long range. Ichigo will stay above as well, and work on intel."

Ichigo breathed a sigh of relief.

"So me, Rowan, Moka, and Snow?" Caspian guessed, looking to his allies.

"Not Snow."

Caspian grimaced. Snow was one of the strongest left, despite the fact she had little formal training before coming to Sentinel. Or, maybe she did. Everything before she showed up on the Skye Manor doorstep was still one big question mark. But all Team MDLN would get was him, Moka, and Rowan. He hoped it would be enough.

The cargo ship began to coast underneath Seacrest Bridge. Its bow had already passed underneath, and the lights of the ship's staggeringly wide bridge neared. Inside the row of windows, Caspian could see a silhouette waving.

It was too late to turn back.


	38. Trimming The Claw

**Note: The penultimate chapter of Part 1 is here! Feel free to let me know what you think, both of this finale arc and Part 1 as a whole!**

* * *

Three parallel strips of light above and the soft blue of the control panel were the only lights within the cargo ship's control room. The sounds from outside were muffled in the cabin's stuffy air, and the glint on the windows obscured the Grimm shadowing the flashing lights of the city. Of those in the cabin apart from Caspian and his friends, only Midas's team and two haggard-looking skippers were human. An Organd crew sat in the far corner, staring eerily ahead. Still, lifeless.

Caspian's focus settled back on Team MDLN. Bruises marred the side of Lavender's face, the beginnings of a black eye setting in. Desmond's uniform was shredded in several places. Were it not for his aura, he probably would have been bleeding as well. Midas walked up to his reinforcements with a slight limp, just enough to draw Caspian's unease. This was Sentinel's top team, with the possible exception of Team LSLI. The four of them had been roughed up badly, and Caspian could only imagine what would happen to three little-known first-years.

"Welcome aboard," Midas introduced. His signature grin looked pained, and he kept his weight off his right leg. His eyes flicked between the three. "Lazula's not coming?"

Caspian shook his head. "Something happened. I'm not sure what, but it sounds like she's done for today."

"That's a shame, hope she's alright," Midas replied. "But thanks for coming, all of you." He turned to the ship's control panel, then flipped a couple of switches. A holographic scale model of the ship, about six feet from bow to stern, bathed the room in its soft blue glow. With a flick of Midas's wrist, the outer shell and all of its simulated cargo dimmed, and the ship's snaking halls and deep holds illuminated.

"We fought Python and a few other Red Claw above deck for a bit, but she retreated below with them and isn't coming out anytime soon. This is a huge shipment of Organd parts, enough to fill the first four holds," Midas narrated, blocks toward the front of the holographic ship glowing red. "...Which means she's probably right here, underneath us. If the shipping data is correct, it's only about half-full. There would be more than enough space to fit a few faunus."

"This is that one woman you talked about before, right?" Moka chimed in. "Bald lady, with a snake tail?"

Caspian's eyes widened. He looked to Rowan, who apparently hadn't pieced it together yet. A bald woman with a snake's tail. Ski jump nose, black lipstick, heavy eyeliner. Happened to be a fan of Pit Viper.

"That's her," Midas affirmed with a quick nod. "She goes by the alias '_Python_,' though her real name is unknown. She uses what I assume is her semblance in combat, some kind of telekinesis that she uses to manipulate three giant bladed disks. They're big. Heavy. Don't feel good when they smash into your hip."

"Alright," Caspian replied, nodding through his mounting anxiety. "How do we get to her?"

"The areas below deck have a gas-based fire suppression system to prevent water damage to whatever's in transit. It floods the hold with carbon dioxide within a minute," Midas continued. "One possibility is to start a fire somewhere below deck to activate it and force them out of there."

Caspian was taken aback. "...And if they don't get out in time?"

"We'll drag her out."

"_Alive?_"

"Do _**not**_ _start a fire on board,_" Headmaster Skye's voice interrupted through Caspian's Holoband, his sudden appearance and stern voice causing Caspian to flinch. "It's needlessly risky, and we want Python alive for questioning."

Caspian nodded. "It might be easier to fight her below deck anyway." He looked out the window. "The Grimm seem tied to the Red Claw _somehow_, but I'm willing to bet there are more outside than there are in the ship." He looked to Midas, then to the projection of his father. "...I-I think. I might be wrong..."

Midas turned the holographic ship in his hand. "If that's what we're doing..." he analyzed, looking over the dozens of simulated staircases and hallways. Even looking at the model, Caspian could tell they were narrow. "Looks like there's a staircase to the underdeck passageway toward the back of the ship," he announced. He stood, but winced and leaned on the edge of the command table. "Alright, let's do this!"

"A-Are you sure you'll be okay?" Caspian asked.

"I'm fine. My aura's still holding," Midas assured. "I let Python get away the first time we fought. I'm winning this rematch."

* * *

Lazula's glassy eyes mirrored the window of the airship lifting her from the bay. She had regained some of her composure purely on account of distance from the bridge, but still sat slumped against the wall, eyes vacantly following the black wings that screamed past. She had a splitting headache. It seemed as though every one of her muscles ached, and her skin was bruised and bloodied. Her chest hurt with only the slight movement of her breaths. She was almost afraid to look at the bruise the Beithyr's tail left across it.

Cars were still stopped across the bridge, but the few Grimm among them were being dealt with by her teammates, and the Organds closing in from each end. Echoes of gunshots and sirens still broke the night. Then, in the middle of it all, the van still smoldered. A glowing reminder of her failure. The one regret Lazula knew would follow her to her own grave.

"_What's happening out there?_" a man asked from over her shoulder.

Lazula lifted her head, and looked over her shoulder. _Odd_, she thought. Every screen in the city was interrupted by news of the attack. Plus, she thought the only ones in the ship were the Organd pilot and herself.

She was right.

Each of the seats behind her were empty. A disturbing thought caused her to break down again, lowering head into her hands. _Was this the new normal?_

A pulse of vibration from her wrist jarred her once more. Lilly was calling. No way she'd answer in her state. Her shaking finger prodded the red X, and she curled against the wall once more.

Lilly tried again. A sudden surge of emotion overtook Lazula- anguish, irritability, rage. With a sudden sharp breath that wracked her chest in pain, she snapped the clasp keeping her Holoband on her wrist, and cast it across the floor.

* * *

"_LOOK OUT!_"

The Red Claw grunt's pipe whipped through Caspian's hair, clanging noisily on the corner the faunus had jumped around. He tried to pull his weapon free, but the matching purple bolts of gravity dust fired from Moka's gloves locked together with decisive force. Caspian hopped aside as Moka rushed past him, landing an uppercut to the thug's stomach and kicking him to the floor.

"Thanks!"

"Stay sharp," Midas advised, pulling Resplendence from his back. The beautiful halberd beamed with static. "It's fair to say they know we're here." He nodded to his giant of a teammate. "Desmond. You take the lead."

"Got it," he affirmed. The gun mounted to his arm flashed with hard-light, forming a riot shield from the steel floor to his shoulder. The dust rippled like a puddle disturbed by rain as the rifle blasts of a second Red Claw thug glanced off the front. Caspian returned the shots with three of his own, which seized the faunus's muscles and dropped him to the floor.

A shriek from above ripped Caspian's mind from the momentary victory. He felt the wind of an immense pair of beating wings, and looked up in time to see talons outstretched. He tumbled out of the way with his teammates, and heard the Nevermore's claws shred the floor. The monster took to the sky yet again, Caspian's few successful shots lodging harmlessly in its feathers.

"I'll take care of that one," Midas offered. Resplendence folded outward as its owner twirled it in his hand, and held up his other to produce a shining arrow the size of a spear. He pulled back to a full draw as he followed the oversized raven, and the arrow fired like a heat-seeking missile, evaporating it in a single shot.

Moka looked less than impressed. Flame flashed across her fists, and she moved onto the pair of Beowolves tearing down the path perpendicular to the group. She moved aside as Rowan's energy beam left a hole in one's chest, and ducked under a swipe to blast the monster's jaw with a flaming uppercut.

More Grimm set upon the group. Desmond pressed onward to the back deck with his shield raised against the claws of Grimm and the Red Claw's gunfire. Midas launched arrow after arrow into the birds and beasts that passed overhead, as Caspian immobilized the faunus that accompanied them. Lavender of Team MDLN skipped around the containers with blinding speed, striking across the necks and backs of the Grimm her teammate Nikole had strung up with silver threads of razor wire.

"That must be the way down," Midas guessed, nodding ahead to a structure at the end of the deck. It looked to be no more than a metal shed, the window on its one steel door hinting at the darkness below. Caspian and the rest stepped out onto the aft deck, between the massive spools of chain and metal drums.

Silhouetted against the neon wall that was downtown, a hulking lion's body lifted up to the edge of the ship on a pair of black wings, letting loose a thunderous burst of a roar. Its claws pinched and crumpled the roof of the shed it perched upon, beady eyes glowing in the night.

Midas stared the beast down, his arm raised to the side in front of his team and Caspian's. Caspian didn't dare move. With a second concussive roar, the black wings of an eagle spread wide, and the beast shot into the air above the group.

"Go!" Midas shouted, his arm wrenching forward to beckon the huntsmen to the door.

Claws the size of Caspian's hand whistled past him as he dodged aside, following Midas and the rest to the door. His shadow danced in the vicious orange light that bathed the staircase as he approached, and as soon as the door slammed and locked behind him, it rattled on its hinges and the window shattered. Liquid flame sprayed forth from the slot, hand Caspian felt a hand grapple his coat between his shoulder blades, wrenching him away. Desmond's shield lit up as the flame smeared across it, rolling over itself and dribbling to the floor.

Caspian nodded his thanks, and continued down the stairs.

"_MDLN really doesn't need me..._" Caspian thought. "_All I've done so far is get in the way. Midas expected Lazula, didn't he?_"

The rickety metal stairs were steep and narrow. On each step down, the tip of Caspian's size 9.5 boot peeked over the tip. As they descended, the roar of machinery grew louder, and the sharp scents of oil and various chemicals grew stronger.

At the bottom of the stairs, the group moved in unison down the underdeck passageway, a narrow corridor with pipes and wires strung up parallel to the floor, intersected every few dozen feet by another narrow hall to their left.

Caspian jumped.

A tiny head contrasted with the harsh light of the corner it peered around. Perfectly round, and disturbingly far from the floor. A white disk covered the front of its face, three red dots forming a perfect triangle.

Grimm.

As Caspian transformed Undertow and aimed its barrel at the triangle, Midas paused and held his arm up again. Caspian lowered his weapon, but looked to Midas in question.

"Hold on. This one's weird," he advised. "It doesn't look hostile."

"What do you mean it doesn't?" Moka questioned. Her tail flapped from one wall to the other. "It's Grimm, isn't it?"

"It is, but it looks more... _curious_ than anything."

The head stretched out around the corner on a rubbery black neck. Caspian raised his weapon again, finger resting on his trigger as it neared. He heard a strange droning noise, something like the static buzz of the lights overhead. Then, a series of gurgling clicks. The red triangle spun slowly before the head retracted, and Midas relaxed.

The rest of the creature came into view. A humanoid, impossibly thin and twice the height of Caspian himself. Its gelatinous body hardly held its structure. Its body squelched and arms and legs bent and stretched as it dragged itself down the hall on gummy hands and feet until it was out of view.

The sight of the thing slinking away made Caspian's stomach turn.

"What _was_ that?" Moka asked.

"I don't know," Midas admitted. He nodded ahead. "Let's go after it."

Rowan held Sanguine Storm closer. "I don't wanna be anywhere _near_ that thing."

"I feel like it didn't fight us for a reason," Midas insisted. "Come on, let's go."

The presence of Midas and his team was the only thing to offer Caspian comfort as they continued down the passage. The creature- whatever it was, had disappeared. As far as Caspian knew, it could have been anywhere. And he was far less eager than Midas to trust it.

Midas stopped at an intersection between the main passage and an intersecting hall, pointing to the floor. On the pale white tile, three thick puddles of tar were left in a line, guiding the group around the bend. Thick windows made up most of the wall Caspian could see from where he stood. Far past them he saw a corner. One wall steel grey, and on the other containers were stacked five or six high, each easily ten feet tall.

"That's her, down there," Midas declared, looking out the window. He turned to the group. "Looks like there are stairs at the end of the hall. Get ready, she's a lot stronger than the rest of the Claw."

On the floor of the cargo hold, a dozen or so Red Claw members stood around with guns, bats, pipes, and other crude weapons in hand. In the center of them, and almost to the wall of containers, The Red Claw's 'Python' sat on a stack of steel cylinders about her own height across, and waist high altogether. Her arm was cocked in front of her with a holographic screen dividing her from the rest of her allies. But with a word from one of them, she looked to the door.

"Oh, gotta go," she spoke to the figure on the other end. "We have visitors."

Midas's shoes clanked on the steel floor as he strode forward with chin up, twirling Resplendence until it pointed ahead. "Members of the Red Claw," he addressed. "There's nowhere to run. Surrender peacefully, and we'll take you in without force."

"Well where's the fun in that, though?" Python teased. Her eyes settled on Caspian, and their whites widened between her heavy eyeliner. "You! Haven't we met somewhere before?"

Midas looked to Caspian in suspicion.

"Y-You were at the Pit Viper concert, weren't you?" Caspian questioned. He already knew the answer. She was unmistakable, after all. Leather jacket, now slashed three times at chest and back to reveal the scarlet cloth underneath. Black and white skirts stitched together haphazardly and layered between each other. Black platform boots to her knees, with a plethora of unnecessary buckles and chains. Her thick serpentine tail, scales patterned black and brown.

"Oh, yeah! That's where I saw you. I'm pretty good with faces, y'know."

"The world's biggest stage, huh?" Caspian echoed, recalling her words when the two last met. "That's why you're attacking now."

"That's right!" she recognized. "You did give the lead singer my regards, didn't you?"

"Stop screwing around!" Midas snapped, whipping Resplendence through the air in front of him. "And Caspian! Stop talking to this terrorist! She's trying to drop your guard!" He looked to his teammates. "Looks like she's not coming peacefully, then. You know what to do."

With a grin, Python hopped off the stack. She raised her arms at her sides, and a purple glow began to emanate from her hands. Her cylinders awoke, lifting off each other and the floor as they joined in the light. Blades the length of a dagger and the width of three pivoted out from within until the disks became a trio of massive sawblades.

Midas pulled the beam of energy forming next to his weapon to his chin at a full draw, and the fight broke. His arrow sparked on the steel Python gathered in front of herself like a shield, dissipating into the air with a flash. The shuffle of several bootfalls filled the cabin as the members of the Red Claw set upon the group. Sprinting in at Python, Midas shouted one more command.

"My team will handle her! Keep the others off us!"

Caspian nodded, transforming Undertow into a blade in his hand. Fifteen on three, he estimated. Not promising odds, but the best he'd get. As the group closed in on him and his friends, his training mission in Sunsett came back to mind. Only this time, his enemies weren't actors.

The impact of the first faunus's blade on his own sent a shock down Caspian's arm, but he managed to direct it into the ground and slash across the stag's exposed back with Undertow before ducking away from the tip of a spear wrapped in barbed wire and sparking with electricity. Undertow's tip flipped around and locked backward as Caspian unloaded a few shots into the haft of the attacker's spear, overloading it with energy and allowing Rowan a chance to bring the flat of his blade over the faunus's head.

Caspian returned to his first attacker, clashing blades twice before blocking the third with his armguard. With a quick transformation he fired an electric shot into his enemy's gut, and brought the butt of his gun down over his head.

Caspian heard the buzzing of a saw from behind him, and turned around with a start. A wiry blonde with a wild look in her eye and a monkey's tail ran at him with a buzzsaw, lunging forward with the weight of her weapon and swinging wildly at his neck. Caspian stumbled backward in a clumsy attempt to dodge, raising his gun with a shaky hand and firing another blast. In his panic, he missed. He jumped away from a second swing and began to backtrack, holding the woman and her saw at a distance and glancing to each side.

Over his right shoulder, a bat bore down on his head.

Caspian flinched as it crushed his armguard instead, and he fired another pair of shots into its owner's gut. As he turned back to the saw, Rowan blocked it with the side of his blade. He shoved outward and turned to sweep the faunus's legs out from under her, allowing Moka to secure her with a bolt of gravity dust.

As his friends jumped back into combat, Caspian glanced to Team MDLN's fight against the Red Claw commander. The hard-light of Desmond's shield threatened to crack under the weight of two strikes, and as Midas whipped the third aside with his weapon Desmond retracted his shield and pointed his arm forward, lighting the cargo hold with a volley of dust pellets. Python stepped back and commanded all three disks to rotate in the air in front of her, shielding her. She flinched and the disks dropped for a second as a shot from Lavender's bow met her side, and she turned to fling them at her attacker.

Lavender jumped nimbly from her place on the side of a container, taking down a Red Claw member with a double tonfa strike as she landed. Before she could look up from her prey, she took the full force of one of Python's disks. The attack sent her flying back, slamming into the shipping containers she had just perched upon.

"Lav!" Midas shouted. He nodded Desmond ahead as Python's disks bore down on his purple-haired teammate. Desmond shielded her from the blow as she gathered the strength to stand again, but had his legs knocked out from under him by another disk. Python leapt and lashed her arm forward, whirling the two weapons around once again to slam into Desmond's side, and crush him against the shipping container beside him. Its side crumpled on impact, and Desmond fell to the floor.

"You know, we really don't have a quarrel with you Sentinel kids!" Python goaded. "You really could just leave us to this, and we won't kill you!"

"_Shut up!_" Midas snapped. "We've got a quarrel with you, and we'll win it."

"Vytal Tournament champion last year, huh?" she teased with a cock of the head. She casually commanded one of her weapons to block Midas's arrow. "You must fight better with weapons than words."

Midas lowered Resplendence. Its tip folded in and it straightened back into its halberd form as he charged the commander. The blades of one disk tore through the air, but sparks flew as Midas whipped it aside with his weapon and sidestepped the attack, barely losing speed. Another came for his knees, and he leapt to plant a foot on it and bear down on Python from above. He ripped his weapon's axehead through the air with the full extent of his strength, tearing one of three sawblades from his enemy's telekinetic grasp. Her eyes widened as Midas stared her down from beneath his visor. His feet struck ground, and he lunged at her.

Back on the ground, Midas jabbed Python's stomach before pulling back and turning on the balls of his feet to leave several more spinning slashes across her chest, quicker than she could react. She finally regained her composure, closing her arms to pull her weapons toward the golden-haired huntsman.

Midas dodged the first and swatted the second away, then planted the tip of Resplendence in the ground and vaulted nimbly over the third. Python's smirk was the last thing Midas saw before her last weapon careened into a box protruding from the wall behind him, and a choking blackness descended after one final flash.

Caspian held Undertow with both hands to steady his blade, the only protection he had against the enemies in the dark. It was common knowledge that faunus, no matter the species, had the natural gift of night vision.

Caspian saw nothing.

The next seconds of the fight came in a series of flashes, the empty cavern lighting up with pulses of gunfire. The remaining Red Claw surrounded him and Rowan, ready to take full advantage of their blindness. Caspian held Undertow up to the last place he saw a faunus's blade, and heard a clashing of steel. With a flick of his wrist he disengaged his weapon and slashed the darkness. Judging by the resistance and a yelp of pain, he met his mark.

A crushing blow met the back of his head, and the blue of his aura flashed across the wall. His head spun, and he couldn't quite remember from which way the attack came. Behind his ear, his skull throbbed in agony with his heartbeat.

A bolt of electricity flicked wildly through the air in front of him until it tasted the faunus's steel pipe, and flung him to the wall.

"Cheap little trick," Moka grumbled. "Cas, Rowan! Stay near me!"

Caspian kept Undertow in front of him, slowly treading through the murk toward where he last saw Moka.

"Good, good, follow my voice," she instructed. He heard a gasp. "Hey, _what-_"

In the darkness, Caspian heard the sharp crash of steel on steel. Then, an unnerving rumble from ahead, building into a cacophony of clattering steel.

A vicious force slammed into his back, lifting him from the ground and slamming him back down what must have been a fair distance away. It began to shake as if an earthquake struck. From disturbingly close came the loudest noise he had ever heard. A series of blasts like a cannon going off next to his head, and an indescribable clattering of steel that rocked his core and assaulted his ears until he thought they could take no more. For the few seconds before he came to, he struggled for breath that wouldn't come.

He felt someone halfway on top of him. Their brawny bicep flexed on his side, and a set of abs as hard as the floor lay on his hip. Caspian had never been pinned to the ground by a Beringel, but in that moment he had some idea of what it felt like. He tore himself out from under the attacker, and held his gun up where their head must be.

In the yellow light of its barrel, Moka's eyes went wide.

"Cas! It's me!"

"Oh!" Caspian exclaimed. The two returned to darkness. "What just happened?"

"Python knocked over shipping containers!" Moka explained. "Now... oh no."

"What? What happened?"

"Well, the containers basically split the room in two," she said. "It's us and Rowan on this side, alone with Python."


End file.
